Kazakhstan hit for mismanaging Asian Games

Korean ski jumper Kim Hyun-ki flies through the air in the large-hill ski jumping event in the Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Monday.
/ Yonhap

By Yoon Chul

On the first day of competition at the Asian Winter Games, host nation Kazakhstan came under fire for mismanaging the ski jumping competition, Monday.

Kazakhstan allowed six of its athletes to compete in the event while other nations were limited to two entrants.

At the Vancouver Olympics countries could only enter a maximum of four jumpers in one event.

“Sometimes host nations here are given an extra quota but it is nominal. The officials need to take proper measures to correct the problem,” South Korean national team head coach Kim Heung-soo said.

“Other nations protested against the host country’s decision during a representatives’ meeting but to no particular avail,” Kim explained.

Kazakhstan’s strategy earned a medal with Nikolay Karpenko snatching the bronze from Kim Hyun-ki of South Korea. Karpenko’s two jumps of 119 and 126 meters earned him 216.5 points, just ahead of Kim’s tally of 212.4. The two narrowly trailed Japan’s Kayuyoshi Funaki on 217.1, whose compatriot Kazuya Yoshioka ran away with the gold with 233.1 points.

Complaints had already been leveled at the host nation before the Asian Games even started.

In skiing Kazakhstan decided against including the technical events of the slalom and giant slalom, the favorite disciplines in Asia. Instead it chose two events that focus on speed, the downhill and super combined events with the super-G.

Kazakhstan is much better at the disciplines it selected. The slalom and giant slalom events have previously featured at the Asian Winter Games, while the downhill and super combined events are appearing at the Asiad for the first time.

“Many other countries including the members of the Asia Ski Federation, complained before the Asian Games began, but we couldn’t change it,” an official of the Korea Ski Federation (KSA) told The Korea Times.

With the changes to the ski events, snowboarding will not feature in the 2011 Asian Winter Games.

Korean international skier Jung Dong-hyun and Vancouver Olympics half-piper Kim Ho-joon revealed their disappointment.

“It is embarrassing that the slalom and giant slalom are out of the Asiad,” Jung told The Korea Times before heading to Kazakhstan in January.

The 22-year-old alpine skier was hopeful of a gold medal in the slalom or giant slalom in hopes to win exemption from Korea’s mandatory military service.

Kim is faced with a similar situation but both failed to realize their dream without even getting the chance to compete.

In the speed skating, the Winter Asiad organizers have introduced a new long distance event, instead of the 1,000-meters, in which women will complete 25 laps and the men 35 of the 400-meter rink.

The organizers have received many complaints from participating countries due to the lack of opportunity to prepare for this new race.

Though the competition slopes are not well-covered, artificial snow has not been readied and conditions are putting skiers at risk.

To make matter worse, the shuttle buses and water supply for athletes have also been poorly managed.

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