The sports ministry said on Wednesday that there was no premeditated bullying during a controversial speed skating race at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. 

During the quarterfinals of the women's team pursuit on February 19th, South Korean skaters Kim Bo-reum and Park Ji-woo left their teammate Noh Seon-yeong behind as they skated across the finish line. 

As a team’s time is based on when the last skater finishes the race, Kim and Park were criticized for failing to stay with Noh.

However, the sports ministry conducted an investigation into the incident and concluded that Kim and Park had no intention of leaving Noh behind. 

According to the ministry, Kim and Park weren't noticeably faster over their final laps than they had been earlier in the race, and claimed that Noh merely failed to maintain her pace in the final stages. 

The ministry added that the decision to place Noh as the last racer on the team was down to a lack of communication about the order of the skaters, rather than due to bullying.