Irate hackers bring down sports body's Web site

The World Taekwondo Federation's (WTF) Web site was hacked after it punished a Taiwanese fighter for cheating at the Asian Games, AFP reported.

According to the news agency, the South Korea-based governing body's site was taken down on Tuesday night, defaced with the words "still unfair" by attacked who supported Taiwan's taekwondo exponent, Yang Shu-chun. The report did not state how long the site was down for. It is now operational.

The seeds of the hackers' discontent were sown during the Asian Games last month when Yang was found to have extra "detachable" sensors in her socks, an action considered to be illegal in the sporting event. Fighters are only allowed to wear sensors built into their socks, which are then used as part of the electronic scoring system, AFP explained.

Following weeks of investigation, the WTF decided on Tuesday to punish Yang's wrongdoing with a three-month suspension from the sport. Additionally, her coach received a 20-month suspension, while the Chinese Taipei Amateur Taekwondo Association was fined US$50,000 for "negligence and wrongdoing" for its role in the chain of events.

The decision angered Yang's supporters and triggered the attack on the governing body's Web site, said AFP.

Taking the WTF's site offline was not the first transgression by the hackers, though. Earlier, while investigations were still ongoing, the Asian Taekwondo Union's Web site carried a statement condemning Yang for a "shocking act of deception", the news agency reported.

The statement set off a wave of anti-Korean ire in Taiwan, which resulted in hackers bringing down the ATU's Web site in November, it added.