Youth, Come to Jamsil

On May 26, the Asian X Games 2005, the young sports event for the active, young generation, kicked off at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium and nearby special sports grounds.

The Asian X Games, which is kind of Asian Games for new, alternative sports, was held in Korea for the first time since its establishment in 1998.

After passing through a preliminary match against invited high-ranked players worldwide, a total of 211 high-performing players from 20 Asian countries have entered into a competition for prize money of $140,000 (about 140,000,000 won).

There are five sports categories in the event, including Aggressive Inline, Skateboarding, BMX (Bicycle Motor Cross) Freestyle, Sports Climbing, and Wakeboarding. A total of 29 Korean players are participating in the eight disciplines of all the categories, including Sports Climbing in which Korea is showing its strength.

The first match of the Asian X Games 2005 is a BMX Flatland preliminary match. Terry Adams (22, U.S.) ranked first in the preliminary match of the BMX Flatland event, which is like a floor exercise in the BMX category.

Meanwhile, Korea’s “first generation” three participants, including Kim Seong-hwan (29) and Kwon Dong-kyoung (29), have participated in preliminary matches, but they ranked lower than 10th place and failed to reach the finals.

The event will continue until May 29. Admission is free.

Chang Jeon jeon@donga.com