Daegu athletics meet going astray

Officials criticized for poor preparations for world’s top track event

By Yoon Chul

DAEGU — Looking for genuine brewed coffee or a reasonably priced meal at Daegu Stadium? Not likely, at least for now.

As the nine-day IAAF World Championships head to the halfway point, the ability of the Daegu Organizing Committee is seriously under question.

In a mix of concern and expectation, all eyes were on Daegu to see how well officials had prepared for the world’s top track and field meet. Sports insiders have said that how the city copes with the 13th IAAF World Championships may well be a gauge of PyeongChang’s performance as the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

But there have been glitches from Day 1. On Saturday, the women’s marathon was only able to start at the third time of asking, after two bungled attempts on the part of the organizers.

Then on Sunday, following the end of the men’s 100-meter final, the organizers closed off all the entrances to Daegu Stadium around 11 p.m. and left, virtually locking the reporters still filing their stories in the main press center.

The organizers were also strongly criticized for inaccurately estimating just how many reporters would come to cover the event. Over 3,000 journalists, cameramen, announcers and technicians are currently in Daegu without sufficient accommodation.

The Media Village, provided by the committee for journalists, can only accommodate 650.

As an alternative, the organizing committee arranged 18 hotels in Daegu and Gyeongju, but most of them are for athletes and officials. Only a few have been allotted to the journalists, and in the case of those staying in Gyeongju, the commute takes about an hour each way.

As a solution, the organizers have arranged smaller hotels in the city. Known as “love motels,” they are usually used by couples who rent rooms by the hour.

Though the facilities are much better than those used for the Formula 1 Korean Grand Prix in 2010 in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province, there is still an element of embarrassment.

“Love motels are a part that the country may want to hide,” said Kenji Sato, a reporter for Japan’s Yomiuri. “If I meet a couple who would have different intentions at my accommodation, it is an awkward situation.

There are also female journalists.

They may feel more embarrassed.” One of the biggest problems is food. It is virtually impossible to find appropriately-priced restaurants in and around the venue.

Some restaurants are only open to VIPs and those who bought a special ticket that combines admission to the games and the restaurants, while the more accessible eateries are overpriced or run out of food quickly.

If there is a silver lining, the organizing committee has been quick to respond to the criticism.

“What you (the organizing committee) are doing is adapting very fast. If something doesn’t work or is wrong, you are very good in changing in the short period,” a reporter from Belgium said. “They are going to go a positive way.” Michael Butcher, a veteran reporter who has been covering the world championships since 1991, also praised the organizers’ work.

“I think it is a stunning location and beautiful stadium with beautiful countryside. It is very difficult to organize something big like this. As problems arise, they try to solve them. I think it is positive,” he said.