Court ups prison term for South Korean coach

SEOUL - Citing a need to warn sports officials against the use of violence as a training tool, a South Korean appeals court on Wednesday nearly doubled jail time for a former speed skating coach convicted of physically assaulting a two-time Olympic champion.

The case, and the athlete's accusation that the coach also sexually abused her, has triggered South Korea's largest investigation into physical and sexual assaults in sport after the events sparked a flood of similar accusations.

Speed skating has a huge and devoted following in South Korea, which has won 24 gold medals in the sport - more than any other country - since it became an Olympic event in 1992.