Olympic fans struggle to stay awake at work

By Yun Suh-young

With the Olympic Games underway, many sports fans are struggling to stay awake at workplaces across the nation after staying up until dawn to watch the events.

Due to the time difference between London and Seoul, the games begin broadcasting around midnight in Seoul or even begin after 2 a.m. This means events can run until the sun starts to rise here.

Some office workers who insist on watching live coverage become caught up in their own Olympian struggle; battling the urge to fall asleep at their desks.

“I went to sleep at 2 a.m. last night after watching the Olympic Games. I usually go to sleep at midnight and wake up at 5 a.m. So I’m two hours short of sleep and I’m keeping awake by drinking coffee. And I didn’t even watch the entire game,” said Kang, a 24 year old office worker in Yeouido.

“Although I’m really tired at work from a lack of sleep, I feel like I can forget the stress when I see our players do well at the Olympics. I think I can relieve stress by taking a quick nap after lunch.”

There are side effects — being reprimanded for dozing off or for being absent minded. An office worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she was scolded by her boss for not paying attention to what he was saying. Others said they slept on the subway ride to work, dozed off, or arrived late because they couldn’t wake up after staying up late.

For students, the situation isn’t any different.

“Because I’m an Olympic maniac I watch all the games. I didn’t sleep at all last night and only slept three hours the night before. I’m okay so far because it’s only been two days, but I don’t think I can continue like this for a few more days,” said a graduate school student surnamed Kim. “I think I’m going to be drowsy after lunch, but it’s bearable.”

When asked why she would go through such pain, she said, “Watching it in real time is really exciting because you don’t know the results yet. At the same time you feel like your heart is going to burst because of the intensity.”

But for younger students preparing for college, teachers and parents are showing concern.

“Because of watching the Olympics, students come late to hakwon these days. They are usually supposed to come at 9 a.m. but they sleep through and come at 11 a.m. or even at 1 p.m.,” said a teacher at a private academy in Daechidong, southern Seoul.

“I don’t scold the younger ones because it’s the summer vacation but I do scold those facing college entrance exams in three months. They need to maintain their pace.”