(Pyeongchang = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = The Pyeongchang Olympic Sliding Center, a legacy of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, has begun a challenge to become a hub for sledding in Asia.
The Pyeongchang Sliding Center visited by Yonhap News on the 16th was crowded with sledders.
At the start house, athletes and coaches preparing for the run moved with nervous expressions.
At the finish line, players who performed well cheered at the top of their lungs along with their teammates and staff.
Minibuses carrying athletes and officials busily shuttled between the start house and the finish house.
At the start house, family groups of Daegwallyeong residents who watched the promotional materials enthusiastically cheered for the players.
Elementary school children say ‘Wow!’ as they see players with thighs as thick as elephants running at speed. He let out an exclamation.
Seonhee Yoon, a Daegwallyeong resident who brought her daughter, said, “This is my first time coming up here to watch a game, and since they are world-class athletes, it seems very exciting. Next time there is a competition, I want to come again. I am willing to pay up to 50,000 won for admission.” He said.
This is the first time that an adult competition of this scale has been held at the Pyeongchang Sliding Center since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. It has been 7 years since the 2017 World Cup.
Pyeongchang Sliding Center was once treated as a ‘complex of concern’. This is because the management costs were high and there seemed to be no suitable way to utilize it.
It was not operated at all for a while, so there was a situation where the bobsled and skeleton national teams were unable to train here.
The best way to save the Pyeongchang Sliding Center was to host competitions.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), the Korean Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (KBSF), and the 2018 Pyeongchang Memorial Foundation signed a business agreement to host international competitions and began laying the foundation for sustainable operations here.
The World Cup’s lower league level competitions, the Skeleton Intercontinental Cup and Youth Series, were held in Pyeongchang, and the Winter Youth Olympics were held in January 2024.
Subsequently, thanks to KBSF’s efforts, the IBSF World Cup, the most prestigious tournament held throughout the season, was held in Pyeongchang.
It is even more meaningful as it is a competition held as part of the ‘Asia Season’. The schedule is to hold the 1st and 2nd World Cup competitions on the 16th and 17th at the Pyeongchang track and then move to the Yanqing track in China for the 3rd competition.
There is significance in the sledding sport, which was once considered to be exclusive to North America and Europe, attempting to expand into Asia.
Fortunately, the competition is being held successfully.
World sledders who have been living in Pyeongchang for about 10 days to prepare for the 1st to 4th rounds of the Asian Cup, a prelude to this year’s Pyeongchang World Cup, respond with a ‘thumbs up’ when asked to evaluate this competition.
Pyeongchang is originally the mecca of Korean snow sports, and its infrastructure has been further expanded due to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, so there will be no problem meeting demand for lodging.
Participants in this competition are staying at the Ramada Hotel, I-One Resort, and the Pyeongchang Winter Training Center supported by the Korea Sports Council.
The Pyeongchang Sliding Center has been rated as the world’s best track since the Winter Olympics, so there is nothing lacking.
Athletes express satisfaction with ‘K-Food’ beyond accommodation, training, and competition facilities.
Matt Weston (Great Britain), who topped the World Cup rankings last season, laughed and said, “I’ve tried many foods. Bulgogi was the most delicious. I ate a lot so I think I need to lose some weight when I go to China.”
However, it is not without problems.
Even though it is the first World Cup held in Korea in a long time, it is not receiving much attention from sports fans.
With ‘Pyeongchang gold medalist’ Yoon Seong-bin retiring, this is why Jeong Seung-gi, Kim Ji-su (Gangwon Provincial Office), and newbie Shim Hyeong-jun (Catholic Kwandong University) must work harder.
Hot weather is also cited as a disadvantage. Even in the late evening of the 16th, when the men’s race was in full swing, the temperature at the Pyeongchang track was 13 degrees Celsius.
Seongbin Yoon, who visited the Pyeongchang track to cheer on his former teammate, was worried, saying, “In this weather, the ice surface becomes soft, and there may be protests from the players.”
The PyeongChang World Cup will not be held next season. Next season is the Olympic season, so the World Cup will be held only in Europe and North America.
KBSF is discussing with IBSF to continue hosting the Pyeongchang World Cup after the 2026 Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics.
KBSF’s goal is to expand the base of this sport by hosting the World Cup and to develop the Pyeongchang Sliding Center into a hub for sledding in Asia.
The Luge World Cup, considered one of the ‘three major sledding sports’ along with skeleton and bobsleigh, will also be held in Pyeongchang in February.
The Korea Luge Federation also dreams of the ‘same dream’ as KBSF.
IBSF’s response, as far as funding, is clearly positive.
Ander Mirambel, Vice President of IBSF Games, a former member of the Spanish national team who is currently the Spanish national team coach, said, “The Pyeongchang Foundation and KBSF always actively help to ensure successful competitions. The winter training center where I stay is also great. The operating personnel are always better. “I try to do well,” he said.
“Pyeongchang is an important route for the expansion of sledding into Asia. We must continue to hold competitions here. We must continue the legacy of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Youth Winter Olympics,” he said. “I think we should come back here.” “He emphasized again and again.
ahs@yna.co.kr
