Archery Team Trains Under Simulated Noise Conditions

A plaza crowded with people doing inline skating and bike riding has turned into archery place. Why?

This is the venue where the world-class Korean archery team trains for the Beijing Summer Olympics opening next month.

The Korea Archery Association will conduct a drill to adapt to media coverage and noise in front of the World Peace Gate at Seoul’s Olympic Park Thursday and Friday. The two-day event will cost 250 million won (250,000 U.S. dollars).

The construction of a stadium began yesterday to simulate the environment of Beijing’s archery venue, with seats able to hold some 500 spectators.

The archery stadium in Beijing is only 14 meters wide and two to three meters away from spectators. Since competitors will be able to hear spectators breathing and the sound of camera shutters, their performance could be negatively affected.

This is why the association built a stage to prepare for such a noisy environment.

Moon Hyung-chul, the coach of the Korean women’s archery team, said, “If they train in an almost real setting, they will stay focused in the Olympics.”

The association posted a free invitation on its homepage to create a loud environment and invited archery supporters and middle and high school competitors.

In this type of training, team members Park Gyeong-mo, Lee Chang-hwan, Yim Dong-hyeon, Park Seong-hyeon, Joo Hyeon-jeong and Yim Ok-hee, will hold a mock semi-final and final with their performances aired live.

In individual events, three-time Olympic gold medallist Yoon Mi-jin and former team member Lee Sang-hyeon will participate. In group events, the men’s team of Hyundai Steel and the women’s team of Cheongwon County will join the competition.

Yoon failed to make the team this year but volunteered to help at the simulation event. “Training while hearing severe noise before a competition can really help players control tension,” she said. “It was helpful for me, too.”

The national team is aiming to win all four gold medals in the Olympics. Since May, it has been preparing to adapt to changes through a virtual training system in an archery stadium in Taereung Sports Village in Seoul.

Such thorough training could result in more gold and glory for Korean archery.

kjs0123@donga.com