By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Seoul City is offering a variety of winter festivities, including an International Ski Federation (FIS) competition featuring a snowboard contest, concerts and other performances, at the new Gwanghwamun Plaza, from Dec. 11 to 13.
A 34-meter-high and 100-meter-long jump pad for the Big Air World Cup will be set up in the northern part of the plaza to accommodate the ski and snowboard performances and competition. Athletes will be judged on their jump, turns, landing and distance traveled.
An opening ceremony followed by the ski jump and snowboard gala show will be held on Dec. 11. On the next day, the world's top athletes in snowboarding will demonstrate their skills at the Big Air Match. Finally, the FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air Competition will be held on Dec. 13.
"Seoul being chosen as the Asian host city indicates that Seoul is much more recognized as a global city than before," said Kang Cheol-won, the city's director general of the public relations planning. Other major cities holding the snowboarding event include London, Stockholm and Barcelona.
The city hopes to raise interest in winter sports among Seoulites and promote its image as a place of unlimited experience.