The Olympic football team won the first ever bronze medal after defeating Japan, but the victory has left a bitter aftertaste. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is investigating "the Dokdo celebration," which the football player, Park Jong-woo performed after the game, claiming that it was a political demonstration.

Right after the bronze medal match with Japan on August 10 (local time) at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Park ran around the field with a sign saying, "Dokdo Is Our Land," which was handed to him by a spectator. Since the game was held a few hours after President Lee Myung-bak visited Dokdo, the Korean spectator made the picket sign with the controversial statement on the spot.

And overwhelmed with the joy of victory, Park didn't give much thought to it when he received the sign after the game.

The Korea Football Association and Park insisted that it was not a preplanned intentional ceremony, but Park was not allowed to attend the medal ceremony and may not even be awarded the bronze medal. People sympathized with Park on the Internet claiming that the IOC was overly harsh in their handling of the matter.

However some have pointed out that we need to take another look at this incident from a domestic perspective and see why this kind of problem occurred. We also need to reflect on the extreme display of patriotism when it comes to the Dokdo issue in addition to discussing the political characteristics of the Olympics and the appropriateness of the IOC response.

In this case in particular, it seems that news on President Lee's visit to Dokdo fueled this kind of atmosphere as it reached London. This was the first presidential visit to Dokdo.

It has been confirmed that the athletes promised to be careful in goal celebrations concerning Dokdo before the game. Koo Ja-cheol, who gave three cheers after making the second goal in the second half said, "Originally, I had planned to claim that Dokdo was our land in my goal celebration, but I thought it was childish claiming what is rightfully ours as ours.

Ki Sung-yueng suggested we give three cheers, since National Liberation Day was coming up and I followed his advice." Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter states, "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas."