Published : Jan. 24, 2013 - 19:59
Na Kyung-won (right), chairwoman of the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games Organizing Committee, and Kim Yong-jik, chief of the South Korean team, wave the Special Olympics flag during the team launching ceremony in Seoul on Thursday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
South Korean athletes participating in the upcoming Special Olympics World Winter Games for those with intellectual disabilities said on Thursday that they are looking forward to having fun and enjoying themselves on home soil.
From Jan. 29 to Feb. 5, PyeongChang in Gangwon Province, about 180 kilometers east of Seoul, will host the country’s first Special Olympics World Winter Games, bringing together more than 3,000 athletes and officials from 111 countries. PyeongChang will also stage the 2018 Winter Olympics.
South Korea will send 169 athletes and 67 officials to PyeongChang for the Special Olympics, taking part in all seven sports, including alpine skiing, speed skating and snowboarding, plus one demonstration sport, floorball. The Special Olympics this year will take place under the motto, “Together We Can.”
At the team launching ceremony at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul Thursday, the operative word was “fun.”
Shin Dong-jin, a male figure skater, took to the podium as the team’s athlete representative and spoke of the “valuable experience” he has had in preparing for the Special Olympics.
“I picked up figure skating in April last year and since then, I have built a lot of confidence and have felt a great sense of reward,” Shin said. “We will meet athletes from other countries and experience cultures that we haven’t experienced before.” (Yonhap News)