The Korea Herald

Skater Kim Yu-na’s costume sparks dispute

Dec 10, 2013

South Korean designer Ahn Geu-mi found herself in hot water after netizens criticized her custom-made costume for top figure skater Kim Yu-na.In the 2013 Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia held on Friday, Kim put on a yellow dress designed by Ahn. When the show ended, some Korean netizens criticized the design of the dress, comparing it to “a pickled radish.”As a torrent of attacks hit the designer’s blog, Ahn was forced to suspend it.“It is the competition that is important, not the dress.” said
Kim Yu-na to skate 15th among 24 in short program in Croatia

Dec 6, 2013

South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na will take to the ice midway through the short program at her much-anticipated season debut in Croatia this week.Kim on Thursday drew 15th among 24 skaters for the short program at the Golden Spin of Zagreb. The short program is scheduled for Friday, and Kim will start her routine at 3:14 p.m. local time (11:14 p.m. in South Korea).The 24 participants will be paired into four groups of six, with an intermission for ice resurfacing to follow after each group fi
Korean curlers swept up in Sochi dreams

Dec 2, 2013

Clasping the treasured broom she used to reach the Sochi Games, Shin Mi-sung smiles as she remembers the ridicule and embarrassment she has had to endure as part of South Korea’s Olympic curling team.“I used to take the subway holding this broom in my hand and people would think I was a window cleaner or a street sweeper,” Shin told Reuters.At 35, the eldest of Korea’s five-woman team headed to Sochi for the Feb. 7-23 Games, Shin recalls one moment when a dire lack of funding forced them to take
Korea eyes another strong Winter Games

Nov 27, 2013

South Korean athletes will be eyeing another strong Winter Olympics when the Russian city of Sochi hosts the quadrennial competition next year, a senior sports official here said on Wednesday.Kim Jae-youl, president of the Korea Skating Union, told reporters that the goal is to grab “at least four gold medals” at the Feb. 7-23 event. Kim will serve as the head of South Korea’s athletic delegation at the Sochi Winter Games next February.“We want to finish high in the medal table for the third con
6 cities in running for 2022 Games

Nov 17, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― The race for the 2022 Winter Olympics is on a six-city contest featuring two former Summer Games hosts, a cross-border bid and a pair of candidates from the former Soviet Union.Notably missing are any contenders from the traditional Alpine countries of Europe, where voters in Switzerland and Germany rejected proposed bids because of concerns over high costs and the environment.The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities, hours after the midnight dea
Korea secures multiple spots in Olympic short track

Nov 15, 2013

South Korean men and women have secured multiple spots in individual short track races at next year’s Winter Olympics.At the fourth leg of the International Skating Union World Cup Short Track held in Kolomna, Russia on Thursday, Noh Jin-kyu, Sin Da-woon and Lee Han-bin all reached the quarterfinals of the men’s 1,500-meter race, each earning a spot at the Winter Games scheduled to open in Sochi, Russia, next February.In the women’s 1,500 m event, Shim Suk-hee, Kim A-lang and Park Seung-hi also
Munich to bid for 2022 Olympics

Oct 1, 2013

MUNICH (AP) ― Germany is moving forward with a possible Munich bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics.The German Olympic Sports Confederation approved a concept based mostly on Munich’s unsuccessful bid for the 2018 Games, which were awarded to PyeongChang, South Korea.Munich would host indoor ice sports, such as figure skating, while Garmisch-Partenkirchen would stage the Alpine events. Biathlon and cross-county would be held in Ruhpolding and sliding events in Koenigssee. All of the venues are withi
[Newsmaker] From Olympic champ to IOC president

Sept 11, 2013

An Olympic gold medalist has been elected president of the International Olympic Committee for the first time in its 119-year history. Thomas Bach, a 59-year-old vice president of the IOC, has ascended to the top post of Olympic leadership.He was elected the ninth president of the IOC in its 125th session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday. He will serve a four-year term and will be eligible to run for two more terms. He succeeds Jacques Rogge, a 71-year-old Belgian, who stepped down after lead
Tokyo celebrates win to host 2020 Olympics

Sept 8, 2013

TOKYO -- Cheers and shouts of ``Banzai!!'' echoed across Tokyo just after sunrise as thousands of people started celebrating the city's successful bid to host the 2020 Olympics, beating rivals Istanbul and Madrid despite concerns about a nuclear plant leaking radioactive water. A slight favorite ahead of the International Olympic Committee's vote in Beunos Aires, Argentina, Japan's capital defeated Istanbul 60-36 in the final round. Madrid was eliminated in the first round. More than 1,200 dign
Korean sports photographer holds exhibition in Lausanne

Jun 16, 2013

A new exhibition highlighting the work of a Korean sports photographer is being held in the Olympic capital city of Lausanne, Switzerland.The Association of the National Olympic Committees is hosting the exhibition of Kim Min-jae, who has devoted nearly 30 years to covering the Olympic Games, at Beaulieu Convention Center from June 13-17. The exhibition staged as part of the ANOC general assembly is showcasing some 170 iconic photographs that illustrate the history of the international sports or
Herald named official English news supplier for 2014 Incheon Asiad

Jun 5, 2013

Herald Corp. has been named the official supplier of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games English news service. The agreement was signed by Lee Young-man, CEO and publisher of Herald Corp., and Kwon Kyung-sang, secretary general of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee, at the committee in Incheon on Tuesday. Under the agreement, The Korea Herald, the nation’s No. 1 English newspaper since 1953, and The Herald Business, will supply the service exclusively.They are also entitled to use the em
Rogge defends system on wrestling’s Olympic status

Jun 2, 2013

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ― IOC president Jacques Rogge defended the process that led to the removal of wrestling from the Olympic program and the sport’s quick return as a candidate for inclusion in the 2020 Games.“I don’t see any shortcoming in the system,” Rogge said Friday. “I don’t see an error in the system.”Wrestling was eliminated from the list of core sports by the IOC in February but, after revamping its structure and adopting new rules, was selected Wednesday as a possible additiona
Sochi unveils medals for Olympics

May 31, 2013

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ― Sochi organizers unveiled the medals for the 2014 Winter Olympics ― and now hope to make sure most of them stay in Russia to make up for the miserable medal performance at the 2010 Vancouver Games.Organizers presented the medals featuring a “patchwork quilt” design representing the different regions of Russia, which will be hosting its first Winter Games next February in the Black Sea resort.One of the first to get a close up look at the medals was Russian President
IOC eyes global betting monitoring system

May 15, 2013

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) ― The IOC is proposing the establishment of a global system for monitoring betting patterns during major sports events, the latest step in efforts to guard against corruption and match-fixing.An International Olympic Committee working group held its fourth meeting Tuesday on the threat of illegal and irregular betting in sports.The IOC already has its own system in place for monitoring betting during the Olympics. The panel called for an “Olympic movement monitoring sy
Singapore member seeks IOC presidency

May 15, 2013

LONDON (AP) ― IOC vice president Ng Ser Miang of Singapore is set to become the second declared candidate in the race to succeed Jacques Rogge as IOC president.Ng will announce his candidacy in Paris on Thursday, several officials with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hasn’t been made yet.Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, steps down Sept. 10 after 12 years in charge of the Int