Table tennis players to ride special shuttle amid commute woes
Korean table tennis players take part in a training session at the South Paris Arena Hall 4 ahead of the Olympic Games, July 23. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The Korean table tennis federation said Friday it will provide its Olympians with a special shuttle service between their village and competition venue, responding to complaints over commuting issues in Paris.
The Korea Table Tennis Association (KTTA) said it has secured the service of a nine-seater vehicle for the national team competing at the 33rd Summer Olympics in the French capital.
The KTTA also said it has booked rooms at an accommodation near the table tennis venue, South Paris Arena, so that its athletes can take breaks between matches and training sessions without having to return to the athletes' village.
Players have said it has taken between 40 minutes and an hour to travel from their dormitory to the arena, with the athletes' shuttle buses often not departing on time.
Those buses have not used air conditioning, in line with the Olympic organizers' effort to limit its carbon footprint. And with only few seats available, players and coaches have had to stand during their commutes.
Earlier Friday, the Korea Swimming Federation announced the men's relay swimmers will move out of the athletes' village and stay in a hotel near their venue until next week, in light of similar transportation problems.
Ryu Seung-min, head of the KTTA and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said he first learned of those issues Thursday in a meeting with the athletes and decided to act promptly.
"I wanted to help these athletes who've prepared for years to compete here, not as the head of the association but as a former player myself," said Ryu, the 2004 Olympic men's singles gold medalist. "We are all here to support our athletes." (Yonhap)