By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The race to become ``the world’s most desirable man’’ is now coming to end, and the Mr World 2010 hopefuls must take one last great leap in the grand finale, Saturday evening at Songdo ConvensiA, Incheon.

So what does it exactly mean to be ``desirable”? The young contestants have pushed the limits of their physical and mental capacities in sporting challenges such as trekking a snowy mountain, training with local marines and learning taekwondo.

But the competition is not looking for an athlete; sportsmanship is valued but it is only one part of the prerequisites. The men were challenged in a Korean food cooking competition and showed off their sense of style in a charity fashion show.

Mike Dixon, the music director of the Mr World contest who served as a judge in the previous event in 2007, upheld the view that the competition is looking for a James Bond type.

``The James Bond type of man is charming, athletic, intelligent and talented. They also have to be good-looking ― the contestants are constantly being evaluated. Their overall demeanor during our time in Korea is, of course, something that will be talked about in the judging process. The world's most desirable man has to have it all,’’ he said.

This year’s contest is being organized by the Miss World Organization and the Hankook Ilbo-The Korea Times Media Group. When asked about how a male beauty contest is still relatively new to the public, Dixon said organizers are drawing from their experience with the Miss World pageants.
``The Miss World Organization is at the forefront of this type of event, celebrating 60 years this year so there is no one better to make this happen,’’ he said.

He expressed enthusiasm in holding the Mr World contest in Korea.

``Korea has proved to be a fabulous place to host this competition. The multifaceted culture, the history and the modernity of the place, plus the welcoming people, make it the perfect country for an event of this kind. To go from an Andre Kim (fashion show) to taekwondo in one day, for example. Amazing.’’

Mr World was last held four years ago in China and ran for three weeks. On the tropical island of Sanya, contestants engaged in extreme sports activities, including running 2 kilometers up a mountain in the rainforest; designing, building and launching a raft; taking Tai Chi lessons and performing Kung Fu in front of Shaolin monks.

hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr