[Opinion] “OK, Daegu”

The Gwan-rib English School held the first track and field event in Korea in May 1896. Students led by a British teacher named Hutchison played in games such as running, high jumps, and long jumps. Unlike these days, each field game was given names in Chinese letters. The 100 meter race was called “yeon-ja-hak-bi” (a swallow learning flying). This means that the athletes ran like swallows flying in the sky. The high jump was called “bi-eo-seom-rang” (flying fish, shining water). This name compares the high jump to fish that jump energetically out of the water.

Modern sports introduced to Korea by Westerners were spread mainly through schools. Koreans learned the rules and actual methods during field lessons or field days at schools. This is why sports were active in cities where modern schools were established. Daegu is one of the places where field sports were held vigorously thanks to the numerous institutes of education established during the modernization era, including the Gyeseong School and the Sinmyeong School. Lee Sang-baek, the pioneer of Korean Olympic sports, who used to be called the “Pierre de Coubertin of Korea,” is from Daegu. He participated in the Berlin Olympics in 1936 as an executive of the Japanese delegation and backed Sohn Gi-jeong in winning his gold medal.

Daegu is dreaming becoming a mecca for field sports. It has set out to attract the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships, which is the premier event for field sports. Daegu is heated with excitement from welcoming the inspectors of the IAA, who ended their on-site inspections today. Citizens of Daegu waited on the sides of streets where inspectors passed through and called out the slogan “OK, Daegu,” at the sight of the inspectors. Contained in the hearty treatment of Daegu citizens is their eagerness to reap the economic effects from attracting the games.

Field sports are the base of all sports. In field sports, athletes compete with one another making use of the most basic abilities of the human body, such as running. If Koreans, who learned field sports in the modernization era, end up hosting the sport’s “dream festival” 110 years later, it will mean something in the history of world sports. The selection of hosting city, which will take place on March 27, depends on which city touches the minds of the vote holders. Daegu leads other cities in the eagerness of its citizens to host the championships. On-site inspections closed with the last inspection in Daegu, but the real activities to attract the championships begin right now. We sincerely hope that such activities will lead to a successful result.

Editorial Writer, Hong Chan-sik, chansik@donga.com