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A bouldering competition is held at SPOEX 2014. / Courtesy of SPOEX |
By Bae Eun-joo
The Seoul International Sports and Leisure Industry Show (SPOEX) will be held Thursday through Sunday at the COEX in Seoul.
SPOEX 2015, Korea's biggest and Asia's second-largest sports trade show, features a variety of the latest sporting goods and technologies from 480 companies represented in 1,960 exhibition booths.
Divided into outdoor, camping, bike and KUSPO show sections, the event will offer an intimate view into the fast-growing leisure industry and is expected to attract more than 50,000 people from around the world.
The outdoor section will feature an array of climbing, hiking and trekking equipment and functional apparel, while the camping section will have all the latest models of tents, sleeping bags, hammocks, lanterns, camping trailers, leisure automotive models and rescue equipment.
An inflatable camping tent, the "X-Gloo," developed by Korean company Gioinfotech will be on display at the show. Using special waterproof and ultra-light fabric, the newly designed tent is easy to fold and store. It won the acclaimed Red Dot Design Award for its innovative design and technology.
One of the notable items featured at the bike section will be a bicycle model with a built-in interlock safety switch developed by a local manufacturer. Unlike a regular bicycle which requires a combination lock to be carried by the rider to protect equipment, the newly-designed interlock safety switch is trapped inside the saddle and only requires a key to be easily carried during outdoor activity. Also on display are BMX, road, hybrid and electric bikes from local and overseas brands.
The KUSPO show focuses on diving equipment, scuba diving sets and everything related to water sports. Featured products include yachts, canoes, kayaks, rafting boats, surfing boards, underwater cameras and other underwater digital equipment.
A bouldering competition is scheduled Saturday through Sunday as a SPOEX sideline event. A total of 850 participants, including 100 professional rock climbers, will take part vying for 13 million won in prize money.
SPOEX 2015 is hosted by Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and Korea International Trade Association and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.