One of South Korea's top women fencers was dropped from the country's national team because she underwent plastic surgery.
Local media is reporting that Nam Hyun-hee, a top foil fencer, had cosmetic surgery in December on her eyes to fix a problem that led to her eyelashes interfering with her vision.
But she also got work done on her cheeks to increase their amplitude that was not approved by her coaches or the country's fencing federation.
The cheek surgery caused her to miss several days of practice because of a swollen face. This angered her coaches and
fencing officials who said she should not have put improving her personal appearance ahead of her commitment to the team.
"We have to be more strict in the management of our athletes. For instance, what are other athletes thinking when a fellow athlete is lounging around because of plastic surgery?" Oh Wan-gun, the director of the Korean Fencing Federation said.
The fencing federation has ejected Nam from the national squad for two years, officials said, adding they are still looking into the matter.
She has asked to be reinstated more quickly so that she can be on the team for this year's Asian Games and be in good shape for the 2008 Olympics.