SALT LAKE CITY — Olympic speedskater Simon Cho admitted Friday to tampering with a Canadian rival's skates, but claimed he did so under pressure from his coach. He called it the "biggest mistake of my life.""I am deeply embarrassed and sad to confirm certain allegations that have been made in the arbitration demand brought by a group of my fellow speedskaters against U.S. Speedskating and the coaches," Cho said in a statement issued by his attorney Friday morning.Cho's comments confirmed one allegation made in the arbitration demand that seeks to permanently remove U.S. coach Chun Jae Su. Chun has denied any wrongdoing but is suspended.Cho said the tampering occurred at the 2011 World Team Championships in Poland after he had already been eliminated from the competition."Although the skate belonged to Olivier Jean, I had no intention to single him out," Cho said in the statement. "It was the biggest mistake of my life and one that I regret with all my heart. I apologize to Olivier and the Canadian team — I have great respect for Olivier and the Canadian team and have never held any bad feelings toward them. I also apologize to all those involved in speedskating for my poor judgment and bad sportsmanship."
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