I am now the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times. I also worked as the managing editor of the newspaper for 26 months from April 2018. Before that my stints included Politics Desk editor, Business Desk editor, City Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. As a journalist of The Korea Times, the most influential English newspaper of Korea, I have been committed to promoting 'international justice' beyond the social justice pursued by vernacular papers. My career includes working as a visiting scholar in Britain's Cambridge University from 2006-07.
Daegu bracing for IAAF World Championships
By Shim Jae-yun
By Shim Jae-yun
DAEGU – Fresh from the enthrallment of PyeongChang’s winning the right to host the 2018 Winter Games, the nation will again be full of excitement with another major global sporting event opening in 50 days.
Ahead of the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011, the city, some 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was buzzing with anticipation. The organizing committee officials for the Daegu World Championships were busy, apparently determined to make the global sport gala an undoubted success.
The athletes meet is all the more significant as having won its Winter Olympic bid it completes Korea’s sporting-event grand slam, having hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 2002 World Cup, a feat only managed by only six other nations.
Moon Dong-hoo, vice president and secretary general of the organizing committee, has pursued this mission throughout his 25-year career, since he was in charge of the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and 1988 Seoul Olympics. He also served as secretary general on the organizing committee for the 2002 World Cup and the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).
He predicted that the event will get off to a flying start given the largest number of athletes and officials in history to take part in Daegu coupled with brisk sales of tickets.
He said 3,822 – 2,452 athletes and 1,370 officials from 202 member federations and 213 countries – had confirmed their participation as of May 6.
Up to 68 percent of the 300,000 tickets have already been sold including some 26,000 sold overseas as of June 30, according to Moon.
Moon said Daegu will emerge as a global city in the real sense as the championships will draw some 6.5 billion viewers in total from around the world during the 9-day event starting Aug. 27.
Following are excerpts from an interview with Moon at his office for the organizing committee in Daegu.
Q:
How are the preparations for the upcoming IAAF World Championships going?
A:
All preparations covering stadiums and other venues, accommodation and media have been finished. We only need to give final touches to the relevant facilities and promotion of the championships. For instance, we plan to create a boom several weeks ahead of the championships by holding various events for citizens from Daegu and other cities at home and abroad.
What is the significance and meaning of the IAAF World Championships Daegu?
Since the historic decision of the IAAF Council to award Daegu the rights to host the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, March 27, 2007, the organizing committee has remained committed to the ideal of delivering the best-ever championships.
The organizing committee has four main objectives. Through the championships, we aspire to create a lasting athletics legacy in Korea and Asia. In addition, we will provide the most conducive training and competition facilities for all athletes. In conjunction with the IAAF Green Project, we hope to promote environmental preservation. Finally, we look forward to the colorful festivities in Daegu, amid maximum security.
The championships are a perfect platform for the most spectacular athletics performances and cultural exchanges. Daegu is a thriving city, ready to welcome all participants and tourists to experience its rich history and culture.
What efforts are being made to provide easier entrance for the athletes and officials?
The government has significantly eased the visa regulations for athletes, officials, members of the IAAF family and media representatives intending to travel to Korea in order to participate in or cover the championships.
First, it has confirmed that all visa application fees for the official participants stated above will be waived. Concerning the working visa of the participating media, the same procedures that apply to athletes, the IAAF family and officials will now apply to the media. In this regard, the media participants who come from Category A countries will not be required to apply for a working visa. For those who are from Category B or C countries, they will still need to apply for a working visa. However, as explained above, they will not need to pay for any visa application fee.
How about the participation of world-renowned athletes?
The IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011 will be an event for the history books, not because of likes of such super stars as Usain Bolt from Jamaica or Blanca Vlasik from Croatia but because of the possible return of athletics legend Merlene Ottey. The Jamaican athlete who recently earned a spot on the 4x100m relay team looks forward to the chance to lead the team in Daegu. Others noted athletes include Asafa Powell, Jeremy Wariner, Liu Xiang and Yelena Isinbayeva.
What measures to enhance the performance of domestic athletes are being taken?
The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism came with five steps to raise the competitiveness of the athletes ahead of the championships. They feature, among others, raising the compensation for gold medalists from the previous 100 million won to 1 billion won, with 500 million won and 200 million set for silver and bronze medalists, respectively. With the exception of the 100 meter race where our athletes lag far behind the world-class competitors, we hope they will earn medals in events including the marathon and jump.