Hardly. Attendance was very low at the National Sports Games for the Disabled held in Gwangju from October 5th to . . . today. An article in the Korea Times, titled "Gwangju Demoralizes Disabled Athletes," calls attention to that, but also unintentionally makes us wonder how uplifting it is to call these athletes "disabled." Anyway, an excerpt:
Despite Gwangju local government vowing to make the games harmonious between the disabled and the non-disabled, the players encountered double difficulties ― public indifference and systematic problems.
The bowling game was held at Hami, a private bowling center on the second floor of the building, which made it very awkward for players to get around. Though there were lifts to carry them upstairs, it seemed clear that their mobility was limited.
Inside, the players had to share with the volunteers since there was hardly room, and they were drinking and eating on the floor.
``I know that we cannot play in the same environment as the non-disabled people, but this is far less than what we deserve,'' a player, who declined to identify herself, said.
At the athletic events, the 42,000-seat stadium was empty.
Holding a bowling competition for wheelchair athletes on the second floor. That's even worse than my joke in the title. Worse than the time Suncheon Bay put in handicapped parking spaces. Regarding the empty stadium, doesn't that happen a lot? They're talking about the World Cup Stadium, and the ten Korea built and used for the 2002 World Cup go unused most of the time anyway.
I think I recall coming across something about these events, but I don't think it was well-advertised outside of the city. Certainly not at all in English, although I know the English-speaking community is not the target audience. Not too much of a presence on the internet, either: a lot of the search results turn up pages and pictures for SS501 and Girls' Generation, two of the popular groups that performed at the games.
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