A local court has rejected an arrest warrant application for former Olympic weightlifting champion Sa Jae-hyouk, who's facing assault charges.

The Chuncheon District Court in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, said Wednesday that Sa has already admitted to the charge that he assaulted a fellow weightlifter and there is little risk of Sa's fleeing or destroying evidence.

The court also noted that Sa is already under a travel ban, and authorities have obtained enough evidence in the case.

Sa was first interrogated by the Chuncheon police in January after he was charged with punching Hwang Woo-man in the face on New Year's Eve. Hwang was hospitalized with facial injuries, and his family refused to settle with Sa.

Sa said he was sorry about what he did to Hwang and said he will "humbly accept" whatever penalties are imposed on him.

Sa, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 77kg class, also received a 10-year suspension from the Korea Weightlifting Federation, effectively ending his career at age 31. (Yonhap)