PyeongChang faces race against time in Olympic prep: IOC official

Despite having made progress in its 2018 Winter Games preparations, South Korean host PyeongChang faces a race against time, a senior international Olympic official said Thursday.Gunilla Lindberg, head of the International Olympic Committee's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang, told Yonhap News Agency in Kuala Lumpur that time will be of essence for host South Korea's first Winter Olympics."Time is very crucial," Lindberg said when asked about challenges for PyeongChang, whose preparations h

July 30, 2015

Kazakh-Korean figure skater dreams of Olympics at home

Denis Ten has been the most accomplished figure skater to come out of Kazakhstan, having bagged an Olympic bronze and a world championships silver. Now the 22-year-old is trying to duplicate such success off the ice, as Almaty tries to win the right to host the 2022 Winter Games.As an athlete ambassador for the bidding committee for the largest city in Kazakhstan, which is battling Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, Ten on Wednesday gushed about the progress Almaty has made."Our idea and conc

July 29, 2015

Head of PyeongChang Winter Games says efforts under way to cut costs

The chief organizer for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics said Monday that efforts are already under way to reduce the cost of running South Korea's first Winter Games.  At a press conference also marking his first anniversary as the head of the organizing committee, Cho Yang-ho said he hopes to learn from the recent Summer Universiade held in another South Korean city, Gwangju.  The multisport competition for student athletes received positive reviews from international officials for its fru

July 20, 2015

Director for PyeongChang Winter Olympics ceremonies vows to expand cultural influence

The creative chief of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics said Monday he will try to stage shows that can help expand the country's cultural influence.  Song Seung-whan, actor-turned-director and head of a local production firm, was named earlier in July as the executive creative director of the ceremonies at South Korea's first Winter Games. Meeting the press for the first time Monday, Song said he will embrace what he thinks will be the biggest challenge

July 20, 2015

Chief S. Korean delegate delighted with 'unexpected' run to top

The head of the South Korean athletic delegation to the ongoing Universiade on Monday said he was delighted with the country's unexpected run to the top of the medal table.At a press conference, You Byong-jin said he was also happy to have been a part of the team that will finish first in gold medals at a competition set to conclude Tuesday in Gwangju, a metropolitan city some 330 kilometers southwest of Seoul.South Korea clinched first place with 44 gold medals won through Sunday's events. Chin

July 13, 2015

S. Korea loses to Chinese Taipei in men's volleyball

South Korea fell to Chinese Taipei 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 23-25, 28-26) in Group A action in men's volleyball at the Summer Universiade on Friday.  South Korea dropped to 1-1 for the tournament at Yeomju Gymnasium, while Chinese Taipei has now won two straight matches. It defeated Argentina on Thursday.  Wu Tsung-hsuan led Chinese Taipei's attack with 18 points while Liu Hung-min added 17. Na Gyeong-bok had 19 points for South Korea in the losing effort.  South Korea will next face Argentina on Satu

July 3, 2015

S. Korea beats Australia in men's volleyball

South Korea defeated Australia 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 20-23, 15-9) to open the men's volleyball tournament at the Summer Universiade Thursday.Down 7-5 in the decisive fifth set, South Korea reeled off eight consecutive points to take control. Australia fought back with a couple of points but committed an error to concede the match-clinching point at Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju.Jung Ji-seok led South Korea with 21 points and Jeong Dong-geun chipped in 17 points.Max Staples had 22 for Australia

July 2, 2015

S. Korea launches quest for big medal haul at Universiade

South Korea on Thursday began its quest for a major medal haul at the upcoming Summer Universiade at home, with eyes on a top-three finish in the medal standings.The South Korean delegation held its launch ceremony at Olympic Park in Seoul. This year's Universiade, a multisport competition for university athletes, will take place in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of the capital, and its satellite towns from July 3 to 14.The goal for South Korea is to grab at least 25 gold medals and finish i

June 25, 2015

S. Korean Universiade delegation sets up measures to battle MERS

The South Korean delegation to the upcoming Summer Universiade on home soil has set up safety measures to fight Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, its top official said Thursday.You Byong-jin, president of the Korea University Sports Board, said a physician with expertise in MERS will join the delegation and will be charged with looking after the country's 382 athletes and 134 officials.Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, and its satellite towns will stage the Universiade, a multisport

June 25, 2015

Gwangju Universiade to be largest in event's history

The upcoming Summer Universiade to open in the South Korean city of Gwangju will be the largest in the event's history, organizers said Tuesday.The organizing committee for the Universiade said 12,737 athletes and officials from 145 nations had registered as of 3 p.m. Monday, surpassing the 11,759 who participated in the 2013 event in Kazan, Russia.This year's Universiade, a multisport competition for university athletes, will go on from July 3 to July 14 in Gwangju, a metropolitan city some 330

June 23, 2015

Park Tae-hwan shifts position on contested injection

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has shifted his position on the contested injection that led to a positive doping test, a legal statement showed Thursday.Park, suspended after testing positive for testosterone, had earlier claimed he didn't know he received a hormone shot at a Seoul clinic until after learning the doping test results. The head doctor at the clinic has been indicted on the charge of professional negligence. However, in a written testimony submitted to the Seoul Central Distric

June 4, 2015

Left to train alone, Park Tae-hwan faces murky future

Serving a lengthy doping suspension, Park Tae-hwan has been left to train on his own with his future as murky as ever.The former Olympic swimming champ was slapped in March with an 18-month ban by FINA, the international swimming governing body, after testing positive for testosterone the previous fall.The suspension began retroactively on Sept. 3, 2014, when FINA collected Park's samples, and is set to end on March 2, 2016.It marked a low point in the otherwise decorated career of the 25-year-o

May 14, 2015

Olympic skating champs named honorary ambassadors for PyeongChang 2018

Three South Korean Olympic skating champions were named honorary ambassadors for the 2018 Winter Olympics on their home ice Thursday.The organizing committee for the PyeongChang Winter Games unveiled speed skaters Lee Seung-hoon, Mo Tae-bum and Park Seung-hi as new goodwill ambassadors for the first-ever Winter Olympics in South Korea.They will be formally introduced Saturday during the celebrations of the 1,000-day countdown to the Olympics.The organizers said they expect the three to drive up

May 14, 2015

Host eyes top-three finish at Summer Universiade in Gwangju

As the clock ticks down on the major international multisport competition for university athletes in South Korea this summer, the host country counts on Olympic medalists for strong performances.The countdown will reach 50 on Thursday for the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, a metropolitan city located some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. The competition will go on from July 3 to 14. Gwangju is the third South Korean host of the Universiade, after Muju and Jeonju, both in North Jeolla Province

May 13, 2015

1,000-day countdown to 2018 PyeongChang Olympics

Special festivities over the coming weekend will celebrate the 1,000-day countdown to the 2018 Winter Olympics in the eastern South Korean town of PyeongChang.The organizing committee for the Olympics announced Monday that celebrations will take place Saturday in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, and other neighboring venue towns, and also in the nation's capital. South Korea has never before hosted a Winter Olympics.The organizers will put on the "Happy PyeongC

May 11, 2015

Head of S. Korean university sports body named chief delegate for Universiade

The head of South Korea's university sports federation on Friday was named the country's chief delegate for the upcoming international athletic competition for university athletes to be held here.The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) announced that You Byong-jin, president of the Korea University Sports Board, will be the head of the South Korean delegation at the 2015 Summer Universiade, which will open on July 3 in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul.You, also president of Myongji University i

April 10, 2015

PyeongChang teams up with int'l experts in prepping for 2018 Winter Olympics ceremonies

The organizers of the 2018PyeongChang Winter Olympics announced on Friday that they have teamed up with international experts in preparations for the opening and closing ceremonies of the multisport competition.The organizing committee said it has formed an International Consulting Committee, made up of experts with experience in directing past Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies. These experts will work closely with South Korean artists, the committee added.The consulting group features Russian d

April 10, 2015

S. Korea reaches Asian Olympic qualifying tourney in 2016

South Korea on Tuesday clinched a spot in the regional Olympic qualifying tournament scheduled for next year.South Korea, coached by Shin Tae-yong defeated Indonesia 4-0 in Jakarta in the preliminaries for next year's AFC U-23 Championship.South Korea had earlier defeated Brunei and Timor-Leste, and thanks to posting the best record among the four countries, South Korea qualified for the U-23 Championship, which will double as the Asian qualification tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Ri

March 31, 2015