* Gwangju 518 Marathon (518마라톤). May 21st. Half, 5km, and a "518 run" that follows a 5.18km course to mark the city's commemoration of the Gwangju Massacre. Registration from February 14th through April 20th.
* Yeonggwang Marathon (굴비골영광마라톤 대회). June 5th in Yeonggwang county. Half, 10K, and 5K runs. Registration through April 30th.
* Jeongnamjin Marathon (정남진 장흥 전국 마라톤 대회). June 19th in Jangheung county. Registration through May 29th.
* Yeonggwang Mud Marathon Festival (영광갯벌마라톤축제). July 30th and 31st in Yeonggwang county, coinciding with a local mud festival. Eight- and five-kilometer courses. Registration open now.
* Haenam Land's Edge Marathon (해남땅끝마라톤대회), February 13th. Full, half, 10km, and 5km runs. Registration through January 22nd.
* Jeongnamjin Jangheung Marathon (정남진장흥전국마라톤), February 27th. Full, half, 10km, and 5km runs. Registration through February 6th.
* March 1st International Marathon (3.1절국제마라톤대회), March 1st. Full, half, and 5km runs. Registration through February 7th.
* Honam International Marathon (호남국제마라톤대회), April 17th. Full, half, 10km, and 5km runs. Registration through March 18th.
* Boseong Green Tea Marathon (보성녹차밭마라톤), May 1st. Registration from February 1st through April 15th.
* 518 Marathon (518마라톤), May 21st. Half, 5km, and a "518 run" that follows a 5.18km course to mark the city's commemoration of the Gwangju Massacre. Registration from February 14th through April 20th.
Gwangju FC, the 16th club in South Korea's K-League football, got off the ground with a launching ceremony here in the southern part of the country on Thursday.
At a ceremony attended by Gwangju Mayor Kang Wun-tae and Korea Football Association (KFA) Chairman Cho Chung-yun plus some 2,000 residents, the team's emblem was unveiled for the first time, as players vowed to play hard for their fans.
Gwangju FC will be run on civic funds. About 20,000 people, including Celtic FC midfielder Ki Sung-yueng and LPGA Tour golfer Shin Ji-yai, raised 1.5 billion won (US$1.3 million) to cover the team's operating costs.
The Korean Grand Prix received the Race Promoters' trophy at the FIA's annual awards gala in Monaco on Friday night.
For long periods it appeared that the inaugural Korean GP may not go ahead, with concerns as to whether or not the circuit would be ready in time. However, with the race a success, the efforts of the organisers have now been recognised.
"It is a great honour to receive this award on behalf of all of those involved in the first Korean Grand Prix," said Yung Cho Chung of the Korea Automobile Racing Association.
"Korea. Korea? KOREA??!! I must have been somewhere else," remarked The Times correspondent Kevin Eason on Twitter.
Added Byron Young, F1 correspondent for the Daily Mirror: "The Korean GP, complete with event and flight chaos, shoddy hotels and things I won't mention, won the race promotor's trophy. Why?"
Apologies late on the case but been treated by medics for confusion. Apparently Korea won FIA race promoter of the year. Where's my pills?
Kia announced Tuesday that it has decided to invest 30 billion won in Gwangju city’s plan to construct the stadium.
The new arena is expected to open for the Korea professional baseball league beginning in 2014.
The team based in South Jeolla Province will invest 10 billion won each year from 2011 to contribute to the total investment of 100 billion won.
Gwangju City has already secured 10 billion won while the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also earmarked a budget of 30 billion won.
The stadium will be part of a sports complex, which will be built just next to the Tigers’ present home.
The stadium plans to accommodate 25,000 spectators and the current arena will be used for the Gwangju Univerisiade in 2015 and for local citizens.
Korea’s inaugural Formula One Grand Prix is over, but worries about its future are raging, with local organizations facing mounting criticism for their mishandling and misuse of the event.
South Jeolla provincial government, which approved and funded the F1 Korean Grand Prix, is planning to conduct inspections of the Korea Auto Valley Operation, the race organizer, according to a member of the provincial assembly.
“Over the next week, we’re going to look through all the documents of KAVO,” said Jung Hwan-dae, the vice-chairman of South Jeolla provincial assembly.
“We’re also planning to summon officials from KAVO to investigate how the money was spent. There is something wrong here,” the provincial legislator added.
Media have reported suspicions over the organization’s expenditure, citing that around 60 billion won ($53.7 million) was spent without proper documentation.
Although the racing track was completed just in time, the organizer failed to complete a safety inspection on spectator seats after struggling until the last minute to build 80,000-seat stands.Yeongam had a four-year headstart, though, according to the earliest English-language article, which said the events had been planned, or "planned," for rural Jeollanam-do since 2006.
“We knew that it was wrong, but there was no time for delay,” said an official from the South Jeolla government.
The inaugural running of last month's Korean Grand Prix has been brought into question with a piece of emerging news on Thursday.
Although F1's FIA inspectors cleared the bespoke venue in Yeongam for the October 24 event, it has emerged that state inspectors have deemed mobile stands unsafe for an international F3 race scheduled for late November.
Organiser Barry Bland said in a statement: "(Local promoter) KAVO have had to cancel the (event) due to Force Majeure."
He said the reason was a "legal technicality with the circuit", and a KAVO spokesman told AFP news agency that the cancellation is due to "delayed approval from inspectors".
KAVO, or Korea Auto Valley Operation, is a joint private venture involving the Jeollanam-do regional government.
KAVO was already under fire at home and abroad for poor preparation. It hosted the F1 Grand Prix from Oct. 22-24 in Yeongam after frantic last-minute work to build the circuit. FIA, the sport’s governing body, approved the Yeongam track less than two weeks from the scheduled race due to the delay in construction.
Although the racing track was completed just in time, the organizer failed to complete a safety inspection on spectator seats after struggling until the last minute to build 80,000-seat stands.
“We knew that it was wrong, but there was no time for delay,” said an official from the South Jeolla government.
He added that the local government is now conducting a full inspection of the newly built track, and is expected to obtain approval from inspectors before the end of this month.
On Wednesday, the KAVO announced that the Korean F3 Superprix, the one-off racing event, which was due to be held at the Yeongam circuit this month, had been canceled due to a delay in receiving approval from the inspectors.
'광주고보 야구사건'은 일제강점기 시절인 1924년 6월 중순 두 팀이 광주고보 운동장에서 친선경기를 벌이던 중 심판 판정에 불만을 품은 일본팀 단장이 광주고보 투수를 폭행하자 선수들과 학생, 시민 등 400여명이 경기장으로 뛰어들어 항거했던 사건이다.
After the conclusion of the Formula One race in Yeongam, South Jeolla, local officials were patting themselves on the back - while also admitting to some embarrassing screw-ups.
“I would like to thank the people of South Jeolla, the government, event personnel and volunteers for all the support,” said Governor Park Joon-yung.
“We have successfully held the F1 event by building one of the finest circuits in the world in South Jeolla, which is one of the most underdeveloped areas in Korea,” he said. “Although everything didn’t go as planned, I want you to think of this as a long term investment for the future.
Entrepreneur Park Min-young, 28, traveled all the way from Busan to see the race, and he had a representative experience.
“I waited for the shuttle at the station starting at 1 p.m.,” he said. “But the shuttle, which was supposed to come every 5 to 10 minutes, did not come until 2:30. When I came to the circuit at 2:50 and tried to get in, I was denied access and not one person knew where I should ask to get answers.
“I bought two tickets over 300,000 won each and people next to me with a baby bought four Silver tickets over 1 million won each,” Park said.
“Nobody from KAVO [event organizer Korea Auto Valley Operation] came to the entrance or explained anything to us, and I couldn’t believe the fact that there was nowhere to get information or vent my frustrations.”
Another problem with tickets was that the local government gave thousands of free passes to university students to make sure the stands were filled. The local government also required its officials to sell tickets to their family and friends.
“Since the event is fairly unknown in Korea, I did ask for some cooperation in terms of tickets, and I am truly sorry for all the inconveniences that have been caused,” said Governor Park. “Also, there were some confusion and dissonance as the organizing committee was run simultaneously with us and KAVO. We will look into all wrong procedures and improve on these matters.”
The spectators stands were rickety, like those at a high school sports field, and KAVO was forced to close certain sections while continuing construction on stands during the three days of practices and races.
Most of the parking areas and pedestrian walks were unpaved, creating huge amounts of dust for the first two days and large mud puddles on the day that it rained during the Grand Prix. After sunset, most circuit areas had no lighting, leaving pedestrians in the pitch black.
Volunteers who were supposed to help visitors rarely knew the answers to questions. Very few spoke any language other than Korean, and few knew where certain places at the event were.
Quote:
“Since the event is fairly unknown in Korea...Yeah...because YOU didn't promote it properly. Idiot.
Quote:
“This circuit was a great accomplishment for us, as what would usually take about five years in Europe took us just over three years to accomplish,” said Kim Jae-ho, the general manager of KAVO’s marketing department.But KAVO didn't accomplish the same thing. Europeans run successful races. KAVO ran...well...not that.If the Europeans wanted to screw up a race as badly as KAVO, they could've done it in less than three years.
KAVO was founded as a joint venture between the provincial government of Jeolla Nam-do and the official Formula One promoter, M-Bridge Holdings. Following the contract signing, construction of the circuit in Yeongam will begin in July 2007 and is expected to be finished by the end of 2009.
Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has expressed doubts over whether October's Korean Grand Prix will go ahead.
Ecclestone hopes the race will happen but says concerns will remain until the Yeongam track passes an FIA inspection.
"It's not good. It should have been inspected six weeks ago," he told BBC Sport at Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix.
"We will have no problem in hosting the race on October 24 as we have almost completed work," revealed Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) spokesman Kim Jae-Ho.
The Korean International Circuit, which has still to be completed, was initially scheduled for an inspection on 21 September, but that was a public holiday in Korea.
FIA press officer Alexandra Schieren said the new inspection, by FIA race director Charlie Whiting, would take place on 11 October.
"We will rush to complete work and FIA officials will see a complete circuit when they conduct a final inspection in two weeks," said Kim.
Ecclestone had expressed doubts that the race would go ahead.
"We normally have a 90-day check before a race and now we are sort of putting this off," he stated.
"What we've done is quite dangerous. It's a question of do we cancel the race or not? They say everything will be OK - we have to hope they're right."
However, the F1 boss insists that he has no doubts the Yeongam circuit will be ready in time for the inaugural race on Oct. 24.
“We’re happy with the circuit at the moment,” Formula One commercial-rights holder Bernie Ecclestone told The Korea Herald in a telephone interview.
When asked if he was concerned about the rumors, Ecclestone replied, “I don’t take a lot of notice of rumors.”
Formula One's governing body admitted on Thursday that "a lot of work remains to be completed" at the 120,000-capacity circuit being built in Yeongam, 400km south of Seoul, but told Telegraph Sport it had given organisers until Sept 21 before its final inspection.
Appendix O of the International Sporting Code clearly states that "for permanent circuits, the final inspection should be made not later than 60 days (or 90 days for FIA Formula One World Championship events) before the first international event to be held, at which inspection of all work relating to the track surface, permanent features and safety installations should be completed to the FIA's satisfaction".
The Korean International Circuit is part permanent, part temporary, which means the final inspection for the Oct 24 race ought to have taken place by July 26.
The race to host the 2018 Winter Olympics officially began after the International Olympic Committee selected on Tuesday the three candidate cities for the Games.
The IOC executive board chose PyeongChang in Gangwon Province, Annecy of France and Munich of Germany as the finalists during its two-day meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The IOC’s decision came as no surprise as the three cities were the only ones to have applied to host the Games. Having been accepted as official candidates, they will now focus on competing to grab more international attention until the balloting next year in Durban, South Africa.
PyeongChang, a popular winter sports resort located some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, lost previous bids for the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games, and is now hoping that the third time is the charm.
After the Winter Games went to Europe in 2006 (Turin, Italy) and 2014 (Sochi, Russia), it’s unlikely that the IOC would return there for a third time in a dozen years, especially with an obvious favorite in Pyeongchang, which was runner-up for the last two Games, both times leading after the first ballot.
No Asian city has been the winter host since Nagano, Japan, in 1998, and with Tokyo losing out for the 2016 summer bid that went to Rio de Janeiro, it’s likely that the Lords of the Rings will look to the Far East.
Some have criticized reliance on artificial snow and lack of winter sports tradition and interest in Korea, citing low attendance at recent sports championships held there.
Parents’ Day recognition came early yesterday for two Korean mothers, who were welcomed at the Blue House and praised for their efforts to nurture great sons. British Disability Sports Events National Junior Championships swimming medalist Kim Se-jin, 13, and his adoptive mother, Yang Jeong-suk, and American football player Hines Ward and his Korean mother, Kim Young-hee, had tea with first lady Kim Yoon-ok.
“Both athletes should be grateful for having such great mothers,” Kim was quoted as saying during the meeting. “Children always try to love their parents, but the greatest love comes from their mothers. Love always flows from the top to the bottom, just like water.”
Since he was young, he always got along well with the other Korean and Vietnamese kids. It seems like he does have some pride in his Korean blood. But we've also been hurt as Koreans. When Hines was in high school, there was an inter-school friendship match for the Korean students. Since he was good at baseball, a school invited him to play. But after the game, when the kids went out to eat, the person who put together the event only took the Korean kids, leaving Hines behind (Ward is of mixed parentage, his father an African-American). After that I told Hines to never hang out with Korean kids. Yet when we went to Korea in '98, even Korean people who looked educated spat when we walked by. Koreans judge others based on their appearance and their age. Those kinds of Koreans think that they are so special?"
* December 1, 2009: That Korean Hines Ward helmet.
* November 16, 2009: Hines Ward's "Helping Hands" and charitable work for biracial Koreans in the news.
* September 26, 2009: Hines Ward meets the president.
* December 21, 2008: Hines Ward movie coming out.
If you are a runner in Korea it can be quite difficult to hear about and register for organized races. This hit home when last week I planned a group run in Gwangju at the exact same time a major marathon was going on in my neighborhood. Even being slightly in the know and being able to recognize the Korean word for marathon, at no point had I heard about this run.
* There's one more day left to sign up for the Jangseong Hong Gil-dong Marathon (장성홍길동마라톤대회) on May 2nd.
* Registration for the June 13th Yeonggwang Marathon (2010 굴비골영광마라톤대회) ends on May 29th.
* Registration for the September 4th Suncheon Bay Ultra Marathon (순천만울트라마라톤대회) started on April 1st.
* The Geumseongsan Mountain Trail Marathon (금성산산길마라톤축제) takes place in Naju on September 12th, with registration going until August 15th. As with last time, the man in charge is willing to help:Dear Ladies and Gentlemen from overseas!
Please register for Geumsungsan Mt. Marathon Race online.
If the online registration system doesn't work, please e-mail your information to me!
I will help you to register.
My e-mail address is ncs6745@hanamil.net
Sincerely,
Chun-Soo NA
Diretor of Naju Marathon Office
* Sign-up for the October 2nd Gangjin Celadon Ultra Marathon (강진청자 울트라마라톤) begins on May 1st.
* Registration for the "regular" Gangjin Marathon (강진청자전국마라톤대회) on October 31st, with the variety of races you can expect at these runs, goes from March until October 1st.
* No information for registration given for the Hwasun Goindol Marathon (화순고인돌마라톤대회) on October 31st, but you should be fine.
* The Suncheon Marathon (순천남승룡마라톤대회) takes place on November 13th, registration open until September 30th.
* On November 14th is the Damyang Metasequoia Marathon (담양메타세쿼이아전국마라톤), named after the scenic road in the county lined with largish trees. The website has information about 2009's run, but I guess you should sign up in the summer or early fall if you want to do it.
