KoreaToday Happy to Sled
Kang Strives to Spread Bobsleigh in South Korea
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
The film ``Cool Runnings'' introduced people to the story of the Jamaican bobsled team. The fish-out-of-water story features a Jamaican team competing in the snow sledding sport at the Winter Olympic Games. The 1993 comedy film, directed by Jon Turteltaub, is based on the true story of the Caribbean nation's bobsled team, which debuted at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.
Kang Introduces Bobsleigh to South Korea
Bobsledding owes its roots in Korea to Kang Kwang-bae, who was the first to introduce and build the sport here. Kang, who earned his Ph. D in social sports studies from Yonsei University, first learned about the sport while studying in Europe.
``Nobody knew what bobsleigh was at that time. I first watched the sport while I was studying in Innsbruck, Austria,'' Kang told The Korea Times in Seoul last week. Kang, who is now the coach of the South Korean national bobsleigh team, studied sports management in the European city, which hosted the Winter Olympics twice in 1964 and 1976.
Bobsleigh was invented in the late 1860s when teams made timed runs down narrow iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled.
``I was a skier initially. An accident changed my life. I had a knee injury when I taught ski to elementary students there.''
``So I looked for something else that I could do and I found bobsleigh, which my fellows in school were enjoying.''
His story is similar to that of the film, where Derice Bannock, the main character, was a sprinter who dreamed of running for his country in the Olympics. However, he was disqualified after another athlete fell, and pulled him down in a race.
The pioneer had difficulty at first as he tried to introduce bobsledding to a nation that knowing nothing about the winter sport.
``I had so much trouble because I started it first in Korea. However I enjoyed that I myself do the job. I feel that I am alive to see improvements and developments. I am happy to ride sseolmae,'' Kang answered when asked why he kept competing even when nobody was interested in the ``weird'' winter sport. The 35-year-old prefers the term ``sseolmae,'' which refers to the traditional Korean sled.
``Bobsleigh is a sport to play in and with the nation. It is eco-friendly because it moves not by mechanical engine but by human power. In addition, we do not compete with other teams. The record tells the winner. We do not need to fight with competitors,'' Kang said in praise of the sport.
``We prepare for two hours to sled for one minute. I check the course by walking. It is hard, but we can get a sense of the way.''
Symbol of Developed Nations
Kang has worked for PyeongChang's bid for the Winter Olympics as a technical commissioner since 2002.
``Hosting the Winter Olympics means that the nation is a developed nation. Look at the countries, which held the Games. Most of them are developed nations. The Winter Olympic Games committee requires the host nation to have more economic power than the Summer Olympics.''
The Winter Olympics began in Chamonix, France in 1924. Only ten nations: France, Switzerland, the United States, Germany, Norway, Italy, Austria, Japan, Yugoslavia and Canada, have hosted the world's biggest winter sports festival. Japan is the only Asian country to host the games ― in Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998. Russia will join the club in 2014 after winning the right to host the Games in Sochi. Can South Korea join the club in 2018?
``I think we can do that. Frankly speaking, we were not well prepared for the previous two bids. Now, we are ready to do it.''
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce the venue for the 2018 Winter Games in July, 2011.
Winter Sports Tradition
``I do not think that bobsleigh is a non-popular sport. Bobsleigh is a kind of sseolmae. Sseolmae is quite popular in Korea. We all grew up riding sseolmae.''
Sseolmae is a Korean-style sleigh, which is usually enjoyed by kids on the ice in the winter. Traditionally, Koreans have used straw back as a bobsled. They enjoyed it riding down a hill.
Various Social Activities
Kang is also involved in various social activities and applied to be an IOC member in 2006.
``The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) recommended me to the IOC seat as an athlete. I was not prepared at that time, so was not elected.''
Taekwondo gold medalist Moon Dae-sung was elected last year.
``If given a chance, I want to do that again.''
Kang has also appeared on famous TV shows such as ``Muhandojeon'' or ``Infinite Challenge'' in January.
``The team did their best, two members were injured at that time,'' Kang said, referring to the team which took part in the bobsleigh tryout for national team squad.
Two Aspects of Subsidy
Kang was appointed as the national team boss recently, and receives a regular paycheck from the government, which has been criticized for failing to support so-called unpopular sports.
``It is good that the government supports elite sports because they can boost the nation's image. However, at the same time, it can make athletes rely on the money. Real sportsmanship is when someone plays the sport because he likes and enjoys it.''
``I appreciate government's support, but I feel I have a responsibility at the same time. I hope bobsleigh can be a role model for amateur sports.''