The 30th Olympic Games have opened in London with about 16,000 athletes from 204 countries vying for 302 gold medals in 26 sports.
Two firsts draw our attention; London becomes the world’s first city to host the Summer Olympics three times and the London Games are the first Olympics to which all 204 countries send female athletes. The official slogan of the 16-day London Olympics is ``Inspire a Generation,’’ compared with ``One world, one dream’’ in the 2008 Beijing Games.
The world will be watching Jamaica’s Usain Bolt closely to see if he can break his own world records in the 100 and 200 meters. Michael Phelps of the United States will also steal the spotlight as he aims for seven gold medals in swimming, one fewer than the eight he garnered in Beijing.
The Olympics in London bear great significance to South Korea, which made its maiden Olympic appearance in the 1948 London Games, three years after liberation from Japan’s colonial rule. For this reason, ``From London to London (1948-2012)’’ has become Team Korea’s campaign theme.
In 1948, South Korea ranked 32nd out of 59 nations earning two bronze medals, one each in weightlifting and boxing. Over the past 64 years, South Korea has achieved an unprecedented economic miracle and became Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
While it’s always true that participation is more important than medals, it’s quite natural to expect good results. The 374-strong South Korean team fields 245 athletes in 22 sports and set up the ``10-10 goal’’ ― winning 10 gold medals and finishing among the top 10 on the medals table.
If the goal is achieved in London, Team Korea would rank among the top 10 for three consecutive Olympics. In Beijing four years ago, Korea was placed seventh with 13 gold medals. The reduced goal is attributed to the elimination of baseball from competing sports and the downward readjustment in taekwondo, Korea’s traditional martial art, from four to two.
According to sports experts, positive outcomes for Korea will depend on how Korean athletes perform in the early stages of the competition because such ``strategic events’’ as archery, shooting, swimming and fencing are concentrated through early August. Team Korea got off to a comfortable start with a goalless draw with Mexico in its football opener.
Marine boy Park Tae-hwan is certain to be the most eye-catching South Korean athlete. He is seeking to renew his gold-medal glory in the men’s 400-meter freestyle race. Park will also compete in the 200-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle events.
We hope that South Korean athletes will perform well in London so that people, beset with protracted economic woes, can smile broadly.