At the 2004 Olympics, Yang contributed to the Korean team's fourth-place finish, placed tenth on high bar, and won a bronze medal in the all-around.

After reviewing the situation, International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) officials acknowledged that the SV for the routine had indeed been incorrectly calculated, and suspended the three judges responsible for the error but ruled that there was no way to change the results after the meet had concluded.

The Korean Olympic Committee claimed that one of the judges on the parallel bars panel, Kim Dong Min, noticed that the Start Value was amiss during the competition, informed Yang's coaches directly after the meet, and that a protest was lodged around the time of the medal ceremony.

The United States Olympic Committee also withdrew their support of this idea after FIG President Bruno Grandi suggested that Hamm give his medal to Yang as a gesture of goodwill.

Arbitrators Michael J. Beloff (United Kingdom), Dirk-Reiner Martens (Germany) and Sharad Rao (Kenya) deliberated over the case for several months, during which time Paul Hamm was called to Lausanne to speak at a hearing.