If you ask me what was the most impressive thing about the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, I would say the expressions of the Korean athletes.

There were some high-profile moments. It was the table tennis mixed doubles award ceremony on September 29.

South Korea’s Shin Yoo-bin and Lim Jong-hoon and Jeon Jeon-hee and Jang Woo-jin won the bronze medal after losing the gold and silver medals to the Chinese. As the presenters were placing the medals around the Korean players’ necks, Jang Woo-jin realized that the collar of his partner’s jersey was pressed against the medal, so he carefully straightened it out. The scene was shown in close-up on the stadium’s big screen. Suddenly, the Chinese crowd erupted in cheers. Zhang Wujin, who was dumbfounded, realized the situation and smiled.

The Chinese audience cheered because Jang Woo-jin’s gesture was reminiscent of love scenes in Korean dramas, also known as K-dramas. Im Jong-hoon also playfully straightened Shin Yoo-bin’s uniform collar, causing her to burst into laughter. How could anyone criticize her for being less than worthy of a gold medal when she has such a high level of skill, a friendly demeanor, and a charm that radiates from her smile?

The Korean athletes that older generations remember are very different from the ones we see today. Thirty years ago, Korean athletes stood on the podium with stony faces, just like the Chinese and North Korean athletes at the Games. I often saw athletes crying after winning a silver medal or bowing their heads in defeat after winning a gold medal.

As Korean athletes began to smile naturally and speak their minds openly, the face of Korean sports changed. We have world champions in so-called “developed” sports like swimming and figure skating, and world-class stars in the most popular sports represented by Son Heung-min. True superstars are being born who are not only the best at what they do, but also have a huge impact on society.

Maybe the rigid atmosphere in China is more efficient for achieving results. However, the feeling that Korean stars, who naturally smile and speak confidently, are being envied by athletes from other countries as “insa” in Asian competitions has given Koreans a great deal of pride.

In this context, the comments made by Korean Sports Ministry President Lee Ki-heung on the final day of the Games were a baffling “backwards step.

Speaking at the dismissal ceremony for the South Korean team in Hangzhou on August 8, Lee said that traditional filial piety sports such as judo and wrestling were not performing well, adding, “Athletes these days don’t want to do early morning workouts. This is the reality.” 토토사이트

He then said that the Paris Olympics were just around the corner and that there was not enough time to prepare, adding, “Next year, national athletes will go to the Marine Corps for extreme training before enlisting. I will join them.” He criticized the mental strength of young athletes who avoid early morning workouts and declared that he would join the Marine Corps training center as a way to strengthen his mental strength.

The response from sports fans has been overwhelmingly negative, with many saying, “What an idiot! A true leader is one who can adapt to the changing times and motivate his players accordingly.

Worryingly, this isn’t the first “backstabbing” from the KOC. Prior to the Hangzhou Games, Jang Jae-geun, the head of the Jincheon athletes’ village, controversially said that he disconnected the village’s Wi-Fi after 10 p.m. to improve the athletes’ concentration. In reality, the young athletes had no problem accessing their cell phones, as most of them had unlimited data. Park Bong’s coaches, who had been using the Wi-Fi at night to collect data on overseas matches after training, complained of great pain.

Being trained by the Marines and getting into icy water in the middle of winter can be good mental training. But whether it’s forced or voluntary is the difference between the results. What the KFA needs to do is motivate athletes to voluntarily put themselves through hell. Scientifically and systematically.