Bang Gui-man Won Olympic Scholarship

For the first time, a South Korean is to receive a scholarship from the IOC. It is Bang Gui-man (Yongin Univ. Judo, 66kg category) who is expected to lead South Korea`s judo in the future.

The IOC has recently notified the KOC that Bang was selected one of the recipients of the Athens Olympics Scholarship. Other than Bang, five other athletes were recommended. The honor, however, went only to Bang.

Thus, Bang will receive $1,200 a month from November of this year to July of 2004. In addition, if he gets eligible to participate in the upcoming Olympics, the IOC will pay for everything related to his participation including lodging and flight fares.

A special committee of the IOC selects the scholarship recipients out of the candidates recommended by the national Olympic committees every four years. An eligible candidate has not won any medal in the previous Olympics, and is likely to win a medal in the upcoming Olympics.

Until last year, the IOC did not give the scholarship to any athlete who received any financial assistance from his/her national Olympic committee. As of this year, it has widened the gate to all promising athletes. Therefore, for the first time, the Korean Olympic Committee could recommend athletes, and Bang won the scholarship for the first time as Korean player.

Only one athlete can get the scholarship per country, which is part of IOC`s 21 scholarship programs for assisting various athletes and coaches across the world to enhance the Olympic spirits. Consequently, the competition is fierce. Bang, who started judo when he was in elementary school, got various scholarships all the way up to Yongin University.

This year alone, he has won 4 championships in and outside Korea. In President`s Cup, he beat Chong Boo-kyong, the silver medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, indicating that he could stand strong in the world.

Choi Chong-sam, a high-ranking official of the Judo Association of Korea, said, "Bang has excellent flexibility and techniques. If he wins over top-notch athletes like Kim Hyung-joo and Chong Boo-kyong, he will probably win the gold medal in the Athens Olympics."

Bang commented, "This is my greatest honor in life. I will win the gold medal in the Athens Olympics to live up to the expectations on me."

Sang-Ho Kim hyangsan@donga.com