Officials set up equipment perfect

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 17:25

2011 IAAF World Championships Daegu

Officials set up equipment perfect

Posted : 2011-08-28 22:58

Updated : 2011-08-28 22:58

Volunteers rehearse the set-up of the hurdles for the World Championships in Daegu, Aug. 25. / Yonhap

By Yoon Chul

DAEGU ― Rewind to the Beijing Olympics in 2008and you may recall two shocking events during the women’s pole vault.

Reigning champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia electrifyingly broke the 5 meter barrier and set a new world record of 5.06 meters.

The other was the organizing committee lost Fabiana Murer’s pole. The Brazilian, at first waited patiently hoping that they would find it.

Fans back in her home country expected the then 28-year-old athlete to win a medal after she recorded 4.80 meters in training.

But the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee couldn’t find the pole and the Murer finished 10th with a clearance of 4.45 meters.

In the world championships in Daegu, the officials are ready to properly manage athletes’ equipment.

“The site, where the athletes’ gear will be stationed, is patrolled 24 hours, seven days a week,” Park Hoon-seo, who manages the site during the event, told The Korea Times.

Just as athletes take doping tests, all the items should pass an inspection.

“At least a day before the competition, all personal equipment should be registered,” Park said.

The official also explained efforts to install equipment such as hurdles, the hammer cage, or the water jump for the steeplechase.

If the equipment athletes bring to the competition is the same as that prepared by the organizing committee, the IAAF regulates they should use gear provided by the organizers.

“We have made ready about four different kinds of the items needed for each event. As there are many different pieces of equipment we can’t prepare everything,” Park explained

The organizing committee practices installing the necessary equipment at least 80 minutes before an event begins.

For them the toughest work is setting up the hammer cage.

“It took about three hours to set up and dismantle the cage,” according to Park.

It takes two hours to fill the water jump for the steeplechase while they can set up hurdles in four minutes.

For the official the toughest day is Day 7. On Sept. 2, the women’s and men’s hammer throw are scheduled in the morning and evening respectively.

“No matter what happens we will perfectly complete our mission,” Park said.