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ghost1

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Japan might not do too well either, but they still do better than Korea: they're present and do quite well in ski jump, speed skating, figure skating, snowboard. And maybe other sports that don't come in my mind right now, but that's already more than Korea's only sport where they're present, short track.

  And anyway, the performances and results made at the WOG arent the major factor for which Korea shouldnt be given the WOG. It's just a factor that confirms what I said about tradition and winter sports culture.

     Now if you ask me the question, as regards to the earlier Japanese WOG than Nagano, I'm sorry but I wasnt born yet to see them (Sapporo ..). My birth year is 1986 so the first WOG I saw were Albertville 92 (I was too young for Calgary 88   :laugh: )

so I cant answer your question, for I dont speak about what I dont know.

   Now all I still can say is that I dont fully agree with you when you say Japan's winter sports culture and tradition wasnt spread out at the time. I wasnt born but I know Sapporo took place during the early 70's, and Japan has always had a minimum of winter sports culture, and because of the Japanese lifestyle the people there always had to develop skills to practice them, be it just to be able to live in spite of the presence of the numerous mountains.

So, to answer your final question, I wont give PyongCheang any credit. A minimum of winter sports tradition and culture are necessary to spread passion and interest among the people, and a minimum of know-how about the welcoming of people coming to practice winter sports as well. All I can do now is hope the IOC members will see that (and not just the Samsung's partnership that should help the Koreans!) to spare us a possible disaster...

i'm sorry but i have disagree with your statement. You say Japanese had to deal with the mountainous terrain however, i looked it up and it shows the Korean landscape being 70% mountains. If Japan had to deal with it, i'm sure did. Weather wise Korea is also colder on average than Japan. Korea being a powerhouse in at least one of the few sports in the WOG, i have to say that it shows at least a minimun sports tradition, which you say is needed.  

As you said you cant judge what you were not alive to see for yourself, however i think that Korea today has more passion for the WOG's then did Japan when it hosted Sapporo, further adding to my opinion on what the WOG can do for Korea, since Japan has grown to become a bigger player and was able to host again.

You said that Japan wins more medals then Korea, which i mentioned before, however i dont think you are taking population into a matter, Korea is only made of 48 million people, Japan is what? double that? not sure, but i know its a hell of alot more, of course its going to win more medals, or that it should. but, i'd like to add that Korea not being far behind in the medal tally, its something to be proud of.

In general i believe the SOG/WOG should be spread out throughout the world,  if they show interest and are perfectly capable to do so then why not? its better then European/same American cities hosting again and again

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Just wondering, Cordelia, what then is your criteria to decide if a country has enough "winter sports tradition" to be "allowed" to host a winter games. Is it the ability to win gold medals? In which case Australia, with two golds at Salt Lake City and a respectable place on the final tally, would qualify wouldn't it? (personally I don't think it would _ not to mention it couldn't physically host anyway). Is it number of ski resorts and how many people such resorts attract? (In which case NZ, Chile, Argentina etc would certainly qualify). It just seems to me your arguments are contradictory (especially regarding then Korea today versus Japan 1972 situations)  and seem to be based more on just some sort of distaste for Korea rather than any logical, concrete reasons.
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Hi, Cord!

Could you summarize in a few words at the end of your novels, what's your point, so we, the people, that also have to work are not obliged to read the whole thing. Not that you don't have talent, just they are TOO LONG!

Thanks in advance!

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Hi, Cord!

Could you summarize in a few words at the end of your novels, what's your point, so we, the people, that also have to work are not obliged to read the whole thing. Not that you don't have talent, just they are TOO LONG!

Thanks in advance!

    :ooh: I appreciate your irony and your sense of sarcasm, so British. I feel really sorry for you that you have to work in August, and that your mental abilities unfortunately can't allow you to read the posts I left. I'm a very litterary person, and I like to write and read a lot...Sorry if that's not your case! :;):

  But if I write "novels" it's only to show how right I'm and to make people open their eyes about PyongCheang.

Verict: please! Everyone knows that population isnt an factor that can explain the results and medals obtained by the countries during the OG. Canada is something like 30 millions people and it does a lot better than Japan for instance. So this argument is senseless. Now I won't add anything more except that if you really think Korea has a winter sports tradition and culture, why arent there many foreign tourists going there to ski in the winter, and go ask the strong majority of them if they know any single thing about winter sports. End of story.

Roltel: Read my former posts since I've already explained what I meant by winter sports tradition and culture (and I actually mean the same things as people usually do when they use these words). I'm here talking about the local people know-how to organize the concerned sports events, about their knowledge of these sports, about the popularity of these sports in the country, and the passion they have for these sports. Sorry to tell you this by the way, but stating that NZ, Chile or Argentina attract as many winter tourists as Europe and N-America is ridiculous, you know that's a lie. Their facilities are also not as developed. And can you please tell me why I would have anything against Korea? THinking that giving them the WOG would be a bad idea doesnt mean I dont like them.

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Hi, Cord!

Could you summarize in a few words at the end of your novels, what's your point, so we, the people, that also have to work are not obliged to read the whole thing. Not that you don't have talent, just they are TOO LONG!

Thanks in advance!

    :ooh: I appreciate your irony and your sense of sarcasm, so British. I feel really sorry for you that you have to work in August, and that your mental abilities unfortunately can't allow you to read the posts I left. I'm a very litterary person, and I like to write and read a lot...Sorry if that's not your case! :;):

  But if I write "novels" it's only to show how right I'm and to make people open their eyes about PyongCheang.

Verict: please! Everyone knows that population isnt an factor that can explain the results and medals obtained by the countries during the OG. Canada is something like 30 millions people and it does a lot better than Japan for instance. So this argument is senseless. Now I won't add anything more except that if you really think Korea has a winter sports tradition and culture, why arent there many foreign tourists going there to ski in the winter, and go ask the strong majority of them if they know any single thing about winter sports. End of story.

Roltel: Read my former posts since I've already explained what I meant by winter sports tradition and culture (and I actually mean the same things as people usually do when they use these words). I'm here talking about the local people know-how to organize the concerned sports events, about their knowledge of these sports, about the popularity of these sports in the country, and the passion they have for these sports. Sorry to tell you this by the way, but stating that NZ, Chile or Argentina attract as many winter tourists as Europe and N-America is ridiculous, you know that's a lie. Their facilities are also not as developed. And can you please tell me why I would have anything against Korea? THinking that giving them the WOG would be a bad idea doesnt mean I dont like them.

out of everyone on this thread you actually sound the most narrow minded, not wanting to spread the WOG? you sound like your some expert on the Korean people? i'm sure they know alot more about WOG then you give them credit for, you belittle the country with your opinions.

you just said canada does great at the WOG even though they only 30 million people right? so i'm assuming Canada should never host the summer olympics right?

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Hi, Cord!

Could you summarize in a few words at the end of your novels, what's your point, so we, the people, that also have to work are not obliged to read the whole thing. Not that you don't have talent, just they are TOO LONG!

Thanks in advance!

    :ooh: I appreciate your irony and your sense of sarcasm, so British. I feel really sorry for you that you have to work in August, and that your mental abilities unfortunately can't allow you to read the posts I left. I'm a very litterary person, and I like to write and read a lot...Sorry if that's not your case! :;):

I'm sad too that I have to work in august, thanks for the sympathy. Now, Cord, I see that beside your great "litterary" abilities, you are very self-confident. But why do you always try to argue with all GB members that are around? Moreover, your thoughts are offensive and even absurd at a time. So, I suggest that you make yourself the favour (and us too) and make a new topic, exclusively for you, where you can write everything, what comes to your mind, whithout to disturb those who don't think like you. And don't freak out - there will be people who will read your poems, you surely have some fans around. Please take my suggestion into consideration!

Thanks in advance

P.S.: I'm not British, maybe your "litterary" abilities have let you down this time. But keep writing, maybe someone will publish you someday!

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Hi, Cord!

Could you summarize in a few words at the end of your novels, what's your point, so we, the people, that also have to work are not obliged to read the whole thing. Not that you don't have talent, just they are TOO LONG!

Thanks in advance!

    :ooh: I appreciate your irony and your sense of sarcasm, so British. I feel really sorry for you that you have to work in August, and that your mental abilities unfortunately can't allow you to read the posts I left. I'm a very litterary person, and I like to write and read a lot...Sorry if that's not your case! :;):

  But if I write "novels" it's only to show how right I'm and to make people open their eyes about PyongCheang.

Verict: please! Everyone knows that population isnt an factor that can explain the results and medals obtained by the countries during the OG. Canada is something like 30 millions people and it does a lot better than Japan for instance. So this argument is senseless. Now I won't add anything more except that if you really think Korea has a winter sports tradition and culture, why arent there many foreign tourists going there to ski in the winter, and go ask the strong majority of them if they know any single thing about winter sports. End of story.

Roltel: Read my former posts since I've already explained what I meant by winter sports tradition and culture (and I actually mean the same things as people usually do when they use these words). I'm here talking about the local people know-how to organize the concerned sports events, about their knowledge of these sports, about the popularity of these sports in the country, and the passion they have for these sports. Sorry to tell you this by the way, but stating that NZ, Chile or Argentina attract as many winter tourists as Europe and N-America is ridiculous, you know that's a lie. Their facilities are also not as developed. And can you please tell me why I would have anything against Korea? THinking that giving them the WOG would be a bad idea doesnt mean I dont like them.

out of everyone on this thread you actually sound the most narrow minded, not wanting to spread the WOG? you sound like your some expert on the Korean people? i'm sure they know alot more about WOG then you give them credit for, you belittle the country with your opinions.

you just said canada does great at the WOG even though they only 30 million people right? so i'm assuming Canada should never host the summer olympics right?

   That's what I was afraid of. You didnt understand a single thing I've said, or maybe you just didnt read my posts. Can you please tell me where I've written that I didnt want to spread the WOG? I even said the opposite. But, with all the possible respect, let me tell you that wanting the best for WOG and wanting to organize them in countries that have a MINIMUM of winter sports culture and tradition isnt a proof of narrow-mindness, or a sign that I dont want to spread the WOG. You're probably one of these naive dreamers who think we should organize WOG in Tanzania or I dont know where, just to SPREAD them, without thinking about what the best places to host them are.

   Well this is not my opinion. I'd rather think that we should give other countries time to develop their winter sports culture and tradition, and THEN  to offer them the WOG, at that moment only. As long as country wont have a minimum of national interest for WOG, I think it should be given the games, that's it.

P.S: I can only be desperate when you tell me I think Canada should be given the WOG. I spent my time saying that European and N-American countries were almost the only countries nowadays who had an enough spread out and developed winter sports culture to host them!

P.S # 2: what are you then if you're not British ghost? I'd be disappointed if u were US...American people usually are nicer than u.. :) . Oh and sorry if you find my posts "disturbing" just because you dont agree with them. I thought that precisely was this forum's interest.

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Hi, Cord!

Could you summarize in a few words at the end of your novels, what's your point, so we, the people, that also have to work are not obliged to read the whole thing. Not that you don't have talent, just they are TOO LONG!

Thanks in advance!

    :ooh: I appreciate your irony and your sense of sarcasm, so British. I feel really sorry for you that you have to work in August, and that your mental abilities unfortunately can't allow you to read the posts I left. I'm a very litterary person, and I like to write and read a lot...Sorry if that's not your case! :;):

  But if I write "novels" it's only to show how right I'm and to make people open their eyes about PyongCheang.

Verict: please! Everyone knows that population isnt an factor that can explain the results and medals obtained by the countries during the OG. Canada is something like 30 millions people and it does a lot better than Japan for instance. So this argument is senseless. Now I won't add anything more except that if you really think Korea has a winter sports tradition and culture, why arent there many foreign tourists going there to ski in the winter, and go ask the strong majority of them if they know any single thing about winter sports. End of story.

Roltel: Read my former posts since I've already explained what I meant by winter sports tradition and culture (and I actually mean the same things as people usually do when they use these words). I'm here talking about the local people know-how to organize the concerned sports events, about their knowledge of these sports, about the popularity of these sports in the country, and the passion they have for these sports. Sorry to tell you this by the way, but stating that NZ, Chile or Argentina attract as many winter tourists as Europe and N-America is ridiculous, you know that's a lie. Their facilities are also not as developed. And can you please tell me why I would have anything against Korea? THinking that giving them the WOG would be a bad idea doesnt mean I dont like them.

out of everyone on this thread you actually sound the most narrow minded, not wanting to spread the WOG? you sound like your some expert on the Korean people? i'm sure they know alot more about WOG then you give them credit for, you belittle the country with your opinions.

you just said canada does great at the WOG even though they only 30 million people right? so i'm assuming Canada should never host the summer olympics right?

   That's what I was afraid of. You didnt understand a single thing I've said, or maybe you just didnt read my posts. Can you please tell me where I've written that I didnt want to spread the WOG? I even said the opposite. But, with all the possible respect, let me tell you that wanting the best for WOG and wanting to organize them in countries that have a MINIMUM of winter sports culture and tradition isnt a proof of narrow-mindness, or a sign that I dont want to spread the WOG. You're probably one of these naive dreamers who think we should organize WOG in Tanzania or I dont know where, just to SPREAD them, without thinking about what the best places to host them are.

   Well this is not my opinion. I'd rather think that we should give other countries time to develop their winter sports culture and tradition, and THEN  to offer them the WOG, at that moment only. As long as country wont have a minimum of national interest for WOG, I think it should be given the games, that's it.

P.S: I can only be desperate when you tell me I think Canada should be given the WOG. I spent my time saying that European and N-American countries were almost the only countries nowadays who had an enough spread out and developed winter sports culture to host them!

P.S # 2: what are you then if you're not British ghost? I'd be disappointed if u were US...American people usually are nicer than u.. :) . Oh and sorry if you find my posts "disturbing" just because you dont agree with them. I thought that precisely was this forum's interest.

you see your just stating your opinion. It is not fact that Korea doesnt have a "at least minimum of Winter Sport culture and tradition". the thing is when your narrow/closed minded you dont go beyond your opinion, its obvious not one person is agreeing with you, and for you to be an open minded/mature person as you say you are, you should understand that there is something wrong with the picture when noone agrees.  

and if you must know, i'd like for tanzania to host the olympics one day, not in the near future maybe in another 1000 years or so, or even before that, i think if they are capable and show interest then there is no stopping them.  however i believe Korea is capable and show enough presence at the WOG to go ahead and host.

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in my former post, the first sentance of PS#1 was for sure meant to be "..if u tell me I think Canada should NOT host the games"  :) i went out yesteday night and I'm kind of tired...

Verict, who tells you none agrees with me? Basically you and ghost are the only ones who clearly showed you disagreed, we didnt have the opinions of many orther people on this forum, and even if we would only be 2 to think what I think, remember the whole world isnt on this forum....???

Let me tell you that you absolutely don go beyond your opnion either. ALl you say is that I'm narrow-minded (just because I have a different point of view from yours), but can you give me proofs that Korean winter sports culture and tradition are well spread out over there, and developed? NO. Give me one single proof and I might change my mind.

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Oh, no,this is becoming sth like personal chat between Cord and verict - why don't you guys, and girl, use the Personal message system, on the left side of the window? This could be a new push for your relationship
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in my former post, the first sentance of PS#1 was for sure meant to be "..if u tell me I think Canada should NOT host the games"  :) i went out yesteday night and I'm kind of tired...

Verict, who tells you none agrees with me? Basically you and ghost are the only ones who clearly showed you disagreed, we didnt have the opinions of many orther people on this forum, and even if we would only be 2 to think what I think, remember the whole world isnt on this forum....???

Let me tell you that you absolutely don go beyond your opnion either. ALl you say is that I'm narrow-minded (just because I have a different point of view from yours), but can you give me proofs that Korean winter sports culture and tradition are well spread out over there, and developed? NO. Give me one single proof and I might change my mind.

Cross Country

FIS Cross-Country Ski Race, Kangwon, Korea (Jan. 27-28)

Far East Cup Cross-Country Ski Race, Kangwon, Korea (Feb. 3-4)

Alpine Skiing

Far East Cup Giant Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Jan. 26-27)

Far East Cup Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Jan. 28)

Far East Cup Giant Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Feb. 2)

Far East Cup Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Feb. 3)

FIS Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Mar. 19-20)

Snowboarding

FIS Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Dec. 27)

FIS Halfpipe, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Dec. 28)

FIS Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Yongpyong Resort, Korea (Jan. 8)

FIS Halfpipe, Yongpyong Resort, Korea (Jan. 9)

FIS Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 14)

FIS Halfpipe, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 15)

World Cup******** Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 25)

World Cup Halfpipe, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 26

outdoorjapan.com

Korean ski resorts

Alps

Bears Town

Chonmasan

Daemyung

Hyundai Sungwoo

Jisan

Muju

Phoenix Park

Seoul

Suanbo Aurora Valley

Yangji

Yong Pyeong (Dragon Valley)

goski.com

Skating

Winter sports have been popular in Korea from the beginning of the 20th century until the division of the country in 1945. Because of climatic conditions, skating was traditionally more popular in the northern half of the peninsula.

In recent years, however, there has been increased interest in ice skating, both as a competitive and recreational sport in South Korea, despite the shorter winter season. This also has been true for other winter sports activities, although skating has been the most popular of these winter activities.

An artificial skating rink, with a 400-meter track, was built in Seoul in the early 1970s. At the end of the 1980s, a large indoor rink was constructed in the Mok-dong area of Seoul, and quickly became the site for performances by international stars. This renewed interest has resulted in an increase in the number of people going to skating arenas for recreation, which have in turn boosted Korean skaters' achievements in competitive events.

The performances of Koreans in the recent Winter Olympics have been outstanding. They particularly excelled in the short-track, probably because Koreans have the ideal physique for that category. In the 1992 Alberville Olympiad, they won two golds, one silver and one bronze. The Korean team swept up four golds, one silver and one bronze at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. During the 18th Olympics in Nagano, Kim Dong-seong won the men's 10,000-meter short track, Jeon I-gyeong, the women's 10,000-meter short track, and the Korean women's team, the 30,000-meter relay, to make their combined medal count three golds, one silver and two bronzes, respectively.

During the 19th Olympics in Salt Lake City, Ko Ki-hyeon won the women's 1500-meter short track and Korean women's team, 3000-meter relay, to make their combined medal count four, including two golds. The cumulative medal count in the last four Olympics is 20, including 11 golds. Kim Dong-seong whose 1st place finish had been unexpectedly invalidated in the 19th Olympics won all five gold medals in the Salt Lake City World Champion-ships. These impressive showings amply demonstrates how fast Koreans' skating skills have developed.

Skiing

Skiing was introduced to Korea in the 1920s by a foreign missionary. Just a decade ago, it was the sport of only a handful of well-to-do youngsters who lived near the hilly slopes of Gangwon-do province. However, in recent years the situation has changed. The number of skiers is increasing annually. It is estimated that about 1,300,000 currently enjoy skiing. Ski resorts now are equipped with snow-making machines, which have extended the skiing season from two to four months (December to March).

At the 3rd Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, Korean skiers took one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze medal. During the 4th Asian Winter Games in Yongpyeong, Korea, Korea garnered five medals including three golds; Yoo Hyeo-in, one and Hur Seung-wook, two. The Korea Ski Association has held many International Ski Competitions during the skiing season since 1991. As a result, skiing has become quite a popular winter sport in Korea.

korea.net

World Championships

March 5-6 05 Short-track (Team) Chuncheon, Korea

March 12-14 04 Speedskating (single distance) Seoul Results

usatoday.com

"South Korean athletes competed in 10 of the 11 sports at the 22nd Universiade in Austria"

http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/issue/1341454_11780.html

Special Winter Olympics

"Kim Jun-Woo, a 19-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a silver medal in Alpine Skiing Advanced Giant Slalom"

Yoo Yong-Woo, an 18-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics

         South Korea, earned a gold medal in Alpine Skiing Intermediate Giant

         Slalom

Bae Seo-Lim, a 16-year-old female athlete from Special Olympics

         South Korea, earned a silver medal in Alpine Skiing Intermediate

         Giant Slalom

Kong Hu-Rak, an 18-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a silver medal in the Speed Skating 1500M Race

Lee Ug-Jin, a 15-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a gold medal in the Speed Skating 500M Race

Jung Jong-Hyun, a 17-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics

         South Korea, earned a gold medal in the Speed Skating 500M Race

Seo Sung-Ha, a 20-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a bronze medal in the Speed Skating 500M Race

Youn So-Hi, a 17-year-old female athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a bronze medal in singles Figure Skating

      -- Yau Chi Him, a 14-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics Hong

         Kong, earned a bronze medal in singles Figure Skating

Korea has held Fespics games the Paralympic games in 2002

http://www.paralympic.org

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin....&EDATE=

there lots more to be found, but i got these off the first couple of search results on google, if you'd like search more and do some research, i dont have too much time right now. i think the country is doing fine, for its small size ( the size of portugal/indiana) they are doing great. From what i've read they might not be the powerhouse in any other WOG besides short track, but they are out there competing and thats all i think is needed. lets end our discussion here. I'll accept the fact that you dont want to give korea any credit for what it does or tries because of your thought on korea not having a winter sport culture, however i disagree. period.

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in my former post, the first sentance of PS#1 was for sure meant to be "..if u tell me I think Canada should NOT host the games"  :) i went out yesteday night and I'm kind of tired...

Verict, who tells you none agrees with me? Basically you and ghost are the only ones who clearly showed you disagreed, we didnt have the opinions of many orther people on this forum, and even if we would only be 2 to think what I think, remember the whole world isnt on this forum....???

Let me tell you that you absolutely don go beyond your opnion either. ALl you say is that I'm narrow-minded (just because I have a different point of view from yours), but can you give me proofs that Korean winter sports culture and tradition are well spread out over there, and developed? NO. Give me one single proof and I might change my mind.

Cross Country

FIS Cross-Country Ski Race, Kangwon, Korea (Jan. 27-28)

Far East Cup Cross-Country Ski Race, Kangwon, Korea (Feb. 3-4)

Alpine Skiing

Far East Cup Giant Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Jan. 26-27)

Far East Cup Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Jan. 28)

Far East Cup Giant Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Feb. 2)

Far East Cup Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Feb. 3)

FIS Slalom, Yongpyong, Korea (Mar. 19-20)

Snowboarding

FIS Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Dec. 27)

FIS Halfpipe, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Dec. 28)

FIS Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Yongpyong Resort, Korea (Jan. 8)

FIS Halfpipe, Yongpyong Resort, Korea (Jan. 9)

FIS Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 14)

FIS Halfpipe, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 15)

World Cup******** Parallel Slalom Snowboarding, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 25)

World Cup Halfpipe, Sungwoo Resort, Korea (Feb. 26

outdoorjapan.com

Korean ski resorts

Alps

Bears Town

Chonmasan

Daemyung

Hyundai Sungwoo

Jisan

Muju

Phoenix Park

Seoul

Suanbo Aurora Valley

Yangji

Yong Pyeong (Dragon Valley)

goski.com

Skating

Winter sports have been popular in Korea from the beginning of the 20th century until the division of the country in 1945. Because of climatic conditions, skating was traditionally more popular in the northern half of the peninsula.

In recent years, however, there has been increased interest in ice skating, both as a competitive and recreational sport in South Korea, despite the shorter winter season. This also has been true for other winter sports activities, although skating has been the most popular of these winter activities.

An artificial skating rink, with a 400-meter track, was built in Seoul in the early 1970s. At the end of the 1980s, a large indoor rink was constructed in the Mok-dong area of Seoul, and quickly became the site for performances by international stars. This renewed interest has resulted in an increase in the number of people going to skating arenas for recreation, which have in turn boosted Korean skaters' achievements in competitive events.

The performances of Koreans in the recent Winter Olympics have been outstanding. They particularly excelled in the short-track, probably because Koreans have the ideal physique for that category. In the 1992 Alberville Olympiad, they won two golds, one silver and one bronze. The Korean team swept up four golds, one silver and one bronze at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. During the 18th Olympics in Nagano, Kim Dong-seong won the men's 10,000-meter short track, Jeon I-gyeong, the women's 10,000-meter short track, and the Korean women's team, the 30,000-meter relay, to make their combined medal count three golds, one silver and two bronzes, respectively.

During the 19th Olympics in Salt Lake City, Ko Ki-hyeon won the women's 1500-meter short track and Korean women's team, 3000-meter relay, to make their combined medal count four, including two golds. The cumulative medal count in the last four Olympics is 20, including 11 golds. Kim Dong-seong whose 1st place finish had been unexpectedly invalidated in the 19th Olympics won all five gold medals in the Salt Lake City World Champion-ships. These impressive showings amply demonstrates how fast Koreans' skating skills have developed.

Skiing

Skiing was introduced to Korea in the 1920s by a foreign missionary. Just a decade ago, it was the sport of only a handful of well-to-do youngsters who lived near the hilly slopes of Gangwon-do province. However, in recent years the situation has changed. The number of skiers is increasing annually. It is estimated that about 1,300,000 currently enjoy skiing. Ski resorts now are equipped with snow-making machines, which have extended the skiing season from two to four months (December to March).

At the 3rd Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, Korean skiers took one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze medal. During the 4th Asian Winter Games in Yongpyeong, Korea, Korea garnered five medals including three golds; Yoo Hyeo-in, one and Hur Seung-wook, two. The Korea Ski Association has held many International Ski Competitions during the skiing season since 1991. As a result, skiing has become quite a popular winter sport in Korea.

korea.net

World Championships

March 5-6 05 Short-track (Team) Chuncheon, Korea

March 12-14 04 Speedskating (single distance) Seoul Results

usatoday.com

"South Korean athletes competed in 10 of the 11 sports at the 22nd Universiade in Austria"

http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/issue/1341454_11780.html

Special Winter Olympics

"Kim Jun-Woo, a 19-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a silver medal in Alpine Skiing Advanced Giant Slalom"

Yoo Yong-Woo, an 18-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics

         South Korea, earned a gold medal in Alpine Skiing Intermediate Giant

         Slalom

Bae Seo-Lim, a 16-year-old female athlete from Special Olympics

         South Korea, earned a silver medal in Alpine Skiing Intermediate

         Giant Slalom

Kong Hu-Rak, an 18-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a silver medal in the Speed Skating 1500M Race

Lee Ug-Jin, a 15-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a gold medal in the Speed Skating 500M Race

Jung Jong-Hyun, a 17-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics

         South Korea, earned a gold medal in the Speed Skating 500M Race

Seo Sung-Ha, a 20-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a bronze medal in the Speed Skating 500M Race

Youn So-Hi, a 17-year-old female athlete from Special Olympics South

         Korea, earned a bronze medal in singles Figure Skating

      -- Yau Chi Him, a 14-year-old male athlete from Special Olympics Hong

         Kong, earned a bronze medal in singles Figure Skating

Korea has held Fespics games the Paralympic games in 2002

http://www.paralympic.org

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin....&EDATE=

there lots more to be found, but i got these off the first couple of search results on google, if you'd like search more and do some research, i dont have too much time right now. i think the country is doing fine, for its small size ( the size of portugal/indiana) they are doing great. From what i've read they might not be the powerhouse in any other WOG besides short track, but they are out there competing and thats all i think is needed. lets end our discussion here. I'll accept the fact that you dont want to give korea any credit for what it does or tries because of your thought on korea not having a winter sport culture, however i disagree. period.

Impressive!

Bravo!

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Hi everybody, I think some of you forgot what the Olympics are!Come on people, calm down, I know that hosting the Olympics is a great thing that can hapen to your country, but don't forget to respect each other. It's really early to say who will have the biggest chances to host the 2014 Games. I think we should wait with that kind of opinions till the IOC make the short-list of the candidates!
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Hi everybody, I think some of you forgot what the Olympics are!Come on people, calm down, I know that hosting the Olympics is a great thing that can hapen to your country, but don't forget to respect each other. It's really early to say who will have the biggest chances to host the 2014 Games. I think we should wait with that kind of opinions till the IOC make the short-list of the candidates!

You have right... almost...because bid details will be announced soon, before the shortlist decision. But, of course, as of now, we can't say who's N1, because whe only know about PC's plans...who knows - maybe Borjomi will be the frontrunner one day... :)

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Hmm... I'm not sure which city I'm going to support yet. It may have to wait until the IOC shortlist.

I have no doubt that Pyeongchang has the commitment and the passion for the Winter Olympics. For me, that's not an issue at all. A Pyeongchang Olympics would be very interesting, and I'm sure very well organised and supported by all parties concerned.

The only thing I will say about Pyeongchang at this stage, however, is that we shouldn't take their brilliant performance in the 2010 election as a sign that the IOC is necessarily looking for a Pyeongchang Olympics in 2014. It could be that they were at their 'peak' in 2010. However, they do have geopolitics on their side, seeing as 2012 will be in Europe. They've nailed the "government support" angle already, but it'll be interesting to see how their plans look under closer scrutiny, as well.

The others? Salzburg is a beautiful city, fully deserving of a Winter Olympic Games. It is a pretty safe option for the IOC, although local support could scupper the bid if the team don't combat this angle (it is possible - look at how London turned around local support). Also, 'safe' options don't always fare as well as maybe they should - sometimes, the IOC seems to go for the more risky, extravagent bids, as a bit of a gamble. However, Salzburg is definitely in the running. I love the city and think they'd be great hosts. Plus, there is an old, Austrian "charm" angle that Salzburg can play, as the last few OGs have had a more "cosmopolitan" and "modern" angle. Perhaps the IOC will go for variety?

The spoiler, in my eyes, is Sofia. And I think they could pull it off. It'd be very interesting to see the OGs come to Bulgaria. Plus, being in Eastern Europe, it may not be hit by the "geopolitical" factor like Salzburg may be.

Big winners out of this are probably the US. No winter bid from North America to scupper their chances of 2016. Wise move.

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Giving me a detailed list of all the ski resorts in Korea isnt a proof at all Verict. Again, winter sports culture and tradition has nothing to deal with the recently-built facilities. I'm going to have to repeat again, that by that I meant the people's interest and passion for the winter sports, the proportion of them who practice them and have a knowledge of them and how experimented are the local venues and facilities in hosting international winter sports events. All the events that you've quoted were organized very recently.

   EUrope and N-America have been used to hosting international winter sports events for years now. With the (approximatively) 10-12 events that Korea has already welcomed, it's far from having Europe and N-America experience. Here's another proof of the low level of winter sports culture and tradition in this country.

   By the  way, all these events were "strangely" organized very recently. And you perfectly know why. Korea suddenly started struggling to organize international winter sports events in the only perspective of PyongCheang games. Korea knew it had to give her candidate credibility, and what's a better credibility proof than giving a list of all the international winter sports events your country had already organized. I'm sorry, but that doesnt make Korea an enough experimented country to host the WOG.

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Giving me a detailed list of all the ski resorts in Korea isnt a proof at all Verict. Again, winter sports culture and tradition has nothing to deal with the recently-built facilities. I'm going to have to repeat again, that by that I meant the people's interest and passion for the winter sports, the proportion of them who practice them and have a knowledge of them and how experimented are the local venues and facilities in hosting international winter sports events. All the events that you've quoted were organized very recently.

   EUrope and N-America have been used to hosting international winter sports events for years now. With the (approximatively) 10-12 events that Korea has already welcomed, it's far from having Europe and N-America experience. Here's another proof of the low level of winter sports culture and tradition in this country.

   By the  way, all these events were "strangely" organized very recently. And you perfectly know why. Korea suddenly started struggling to organize international winter sports events in the only perspective of PyongCheang games. Korea knew it had to give her candidate credibility, and what's a better credibility proof than giving a list of all the international winter sports events your country had already organized. I'm sorry, but that doesnt make Korea an enough experimented country to host the WOG.

But surely experience is not everything. If Pyeongchang has the commitment, the organisation and the know-how, there's no reason why it shouldn't have the WOG.

If we took that particular argument, then Korea would never host any winter sports championships. And then they'd never gain that experience to ever host them, would they?

The Olympics is not just about awarding the games to the city with the biggest sporting culture - otherwise, dare I say, nations like Australia, Austria and Switzerland would always host them.

OK, so previous experience is most certainly a factor. But should Pyeongchang be able to stand up and say that it's perfectly capable of organising the WOG, then there's no reason why they can't be awarded them.

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There is no one determining factor...it is a series of things.  Legacy, experience, winter tradition, passion, technical aspects, marketing opportunity, accomodation, finance, popular support, government support, IF support, corporate sponsorships, the list goes on...there is a huge matrix which will determine the shortlist.

I think it safe to say that PyeongChang, Salzburg and Sofia are the three top contendors.  PyeongChang has the local support nailed down.  Salzburg has the strongest winter tradition, experience and technical aspects.  And the Sofia bid has great opportunities for building a sporting legacy in Eastern Europe.  All of these cities are also on their second or third serious bid.

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But where is the largest market for winter sports products ? In the impoverished and struggling Eastern Europe ? in the still wealthy but rapidly declining Western Europe ? in booming Asia ?
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I think LiuTain makes a very valid point.  I can't help but wonder what impact a future bid from Harbin may have on the 2014 race.  I doubt the Koreans can inspire the Chinese.  Vancouver possibly stands a better chance of inspiring the Chinese more than PyeongChang.
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I think the onlu reason PC is thought as favourite now is the damn good PR. Its obvious that PC is the only city that has published its plans, even Salzburg didn't yet. So it can happen that after first plans are known... Borjomi is the favourite. It's just that the koreans are advertising the bid on every single occasion, which, of course, is a winning strategy, but how can we say whos's first when we have nothing to compare with?

Food for thought

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