I -Eva Peron, Korea and the Olympics
Earlier than Korea grew to become one of the industrialized nations on your complete Asian continent, Argentina -it is about 26 instances the dimensions of SK- was one of the world’s six richest international locations. Across the identical time, they had been getting off on the appropriate foot within the Olympic Video games.

Argentina -now a football-loving nation- was residence to sixty % of Latin America’s Olympic winners-aquatics, boxing, polo, rowing, track-field. On the 1948 London Video games, they completed 13th within the medal standings. In distinction to its neighbours, Argentina had an Olympic champ to cheer in that 12 months , when Delfo Cabrera gained a gold medal. On that event, Korea was actually not fortunate,and completed 32nd within the medal desk. Korea’s first Olympic nationwide workforce was fashioned within the late 40s. However Koreans dare to dream the inconceivable.

On the 1951 Pan American Video games in Buenos Aires, the host nation completed first within the rely medal- the place America was ousted from the primary spot for the primary time in Continental Video games historical past by Argentina.

However Argentina is now historical past. Within the final Olympics, the Latin American nation solely gained two golds-soccer & biking. Paradoxically, Argentina-where there are snow-mountains- has by no means gained an Olympic medal within the Winter Video games. Then, in April 2009, the Bolivian males’s soccer squad upset workforce Argentina, which was skilled by soccer player-turned-coach Diego Armando Maradona, 6-1.

Totally different from Argentina, Japan, Australia and Canada, SK is ranked among the many 5 finest Olympic groups, together with China, America, Russia and Germany. This excellent workforce is a paradigm on Earth.

Korea expects to ship about 50 champs to the XXI Winter Video games in Vancouver, Canada. The nation’s athletic rulers additionally count on to ship 250 champs to the London 2012 Olympics.

II-A Small Nation With A Massive Ambition
From my perspective I believe that South Korea is probably the most profitable Olympic nation in historical past. Now SK grew to become a supply of inspiration for a lot of Olympic international locations around the globe. Definitely, it’s a position mannequin for small international locations -from Austria to Brunei Darussalam- and multiparty States -e.g. India, Taiwan, Chile, Peru, Argentina.

The Republic of Korea, also referred to as South Korea, is concerning the dimension of Indiana. Greater than 49 million folks dwell there-it isn’t far off the whole in Ukraine. In contrast to Venezuela-it has had the advantage of excessive oil costs, Peru and Angola, Korea has few pure sources. This nation doesn’t have oil, diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, fuel, and uranium.

However within the final a long time of the 20th century, the Korean State launched an industrialization program and broaden schooling. The rulers devoted greater than 20 % of its nationwide finances to the event human-education, tradition, welfare, sports activities. Now SK has one of the world’s strongest economies.

III-The Tough Years
Within the 1940s and 1950s, SK was a war-torn nation-World Battle II and Korean Battle. Due to this, it grew to become one of the world’s poorest nations. After World Battle II ended 35 years of Japanese domination and Korea gained its independence (1948).

From 1950 to ’53 practically three million Koreans died. Alternatively, there have been, 500,000 Koreans residing abroad. Within the following a long time Korea was ruled by navy warlords. Within the 1990s SK grew to become a democratic nation.

IV- A Nation of Sports activities Lovers
In the course of the 1960s and 1970s, the rule launched many sports activities reforms -a sturdy emphasis on bodily schooling into instructional system- and did many issues to enhance sporting life within the nation-an official coverage that continued within the 1990s and 2000s. In only a few years, in addition they promoted the sports activities that weren’t well-known within the nation.

Success got here slowly at first. The variety of Asian awards elevated from round 27 in 1958 to greater than 65 in 1978. From 1964 to ’76, the nation’s champs earned 12 Olympic medals. One other instance, Korea’s boxers, led by Moon Sung-Kil, gained many international titles within the 1980s.

In contrast to Cuba -which had loads of coaches from the united states, East Germany, Bulgaria, North Korea and Poland- SK didn’t have overseas coaches. All its Olympic awards had been produced by Korean coaches.

To help Seoul’s bid to host the 1988 Olympics, the Korean chairmans hosted many worldwide occasions -the 1979 Capturing World Championships, the 1982 Baseball World Cup, the 1982 Boxing World Championships and the Korea Cup (volleyball)-and constructed world-class stadiums.

V- The Boycott In opposition to South Korea
Throughout Chilly Battle, particularly between 1950 and 1985, Korea was an remoted Olympic nation. This Asian nation was thought of a global pariah by the World Marxist and several other anti-American states (Korea grew to become a UN member in 1991).

The 1979 Seoul FIBA Girls’s World Championships had been boycotted by the Soviet Union and its allies. Three years later, Cuba’s boxers, world & Olympic champions, weren’t allowed to compete within the World Cup by Fidel Castro. That very same 12 months, Cuba additionally didn’t ship baseball gamers to the World Championships in South Korea.

In 1986 North Korea boycotted the Asian Video games. The Democratic Individuals’ s Republic of Korea refused to ship champs to SK. Subsequently, the XXIV Seoul Summer time Olympic Video games had been boycotted by seven nations-Albania, Cuba, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Seychelles. Nevertheless, the sports activities officers despatched a number of champs to Moscow, Varna, Havana and Prague.

VI – Seoul Olympic Video games- A Gold Medal for Korea
In the course of the IOC Session in Germany in 1981, Seoul was chosen as host nation for the 1988 Summer time Olympics, and started a brand new period for the nation’s sports activities improvement. Seoul beat Nagoya, Japan’s metropolis. That call precipitated shock around the globe.

Thirty-eight years in the past, Seoul had been destroyed by Korean Battle, however it had been rebuilt in file time. Within the ’70s and early ’80s, Seoul was a profitable host to a number of worldwide tournaments.

The IOC awarded Seoul the Olympics by a margin of 15 votes. Kim Un-Yong -one of the world’s finest Olympic czars- was a key determine behind South Korea’s bid to host the 1988 Summer time Olympics. He was runner-up when Jacques Rogge was elected IOC chairman.

SK, an anti-Marxist state within the 20th century, didn’t have full diplomatic ties with the World Soviet-which had gained the final three Olympics- and the Individuals’s Republic of China-the new Olympic member. Moscow may have boycotted the Video games in South Korea.

Secondly, Korea was not a multiparty-state on the Asian area. In 1980, an illustration organized by the pro-democratic teams was the bloody riot referred to as the “Kwangju Bloodbath”. In 1974 South Korea’s First Woman had been assassinated. A while later, ruler Park Chung Hee was killed by the top of South Korea CIA in Seoul.

On the 24th Summer time Video games, SK gained 12 gold medals and was one of the 4 finest sports activities groups on the planet.

The Opening ceremony was spectacular. The following day, the images had been seen everywhere in the world and from that second the identify Korea was identified in every single place. In the meantime, representatives from 159 international locations attended the Olympics, together with the united states and China.

Seoul’88 was a political-blow to the Communist Motion. The Kremlin despatched 514 champs to the 1988 Video games. That journey had the blessing of the Soviet regime, which had boycotted the Summer time Olympics within the States in 1984. Then, greater than 290 champs -e.g Petra Felke, Heike Drechsler, Kristin Otto- had been despatched by the East German warlords- a landslide victory for the Korean chairmans. However there have been different mates too: The Vietnamese rule allowed champs from Vietnam to attend the Summer time Video games. Definitely, sports activities was an necessary diplomatic software for Korea.

VII- Democracy & Sports activities
Within the nation’s first multiparty presidential election, in December 1992, Kim Younger Sam -a passionate human-rights advocate-, was elected, and the Asian nation returned to civilian rule. It was a watershed second.

Now South Korea is without doubt one of the most excellent democracies -human improvement and democracy- in Asia and a job mannequin for a number of post-dictatorship states. From then on, Korea has one of the world’s most formidable instructional projects-many younger folks examine greater than 11 hours.

Underneath the brand new democratic rulers, SK has bolstered its sporting system. Definitely they wished to be the centre of excellence in Asia. The Olympic Korean workforce stunned the world when it emerged as a “new world energy” within the 21st century. Alternatively, the nation staged profitable 2002 World Cup and 2003 World College Video games.

Within the two-year interval between the 2006 Winter Video games and 2008 Summer time Olympics, Korea gained 42 awards (19 golds, 13 silvers, 10 bronzes) and completed 5 within the unofficial workforce standings, behind China, Russia, Germany and the U.S. Korea’s delegation was backed up by President Roh Moo-Hyn. Along with the Olympic and world titles, South Korea has gained a number of Asian gold medals. They competed with 45 international locations within the Olympic-type Asian Video games.

Earlier than the 1992 Winter Olympic Video games, Korea had not gained any medal. With out the sporting custom of Czechoslovakia and Sweden, Korea has extra Winter Olympic medals than Spain and Japan. Because of this, the federal government lent its help to a bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. In Guatemala Metropolis, Pyongchang was solely overwhelmed for the Winter Video games by Sochi (Russia).

VIII- From Archery to Wrestling
Because the 2000s Korea is powerhouse in aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, fencing, subject hockey, gymnastics, handball, judo, capturing, short-track, desk tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling,and different sports activities.

Archers With Olympic Honours
Korea has produced world-beating archers lately. From 1984 to 2008 they’ve gained 16 gold medals. The nation’s archers, impressed by Web optimization Hyang-Quickly, gained Three of the Four occasions on the Sydney Olympic Video games in 2000.

Athletics-Fusion of Previous, Current and Future
Within the first half of the 20th century, two Koreans, Suh Yun Bok & Ham Kee Yong, gained the Boston Marathon. In 2001 Bong-Ju Lee grew to become the primary non-African to win the Boston Marathon since 1991. The nation’s marathon runner Hwang Younger-Cho – considered one of Korea’s most well-known champs- claimed a gold medal on the 25th Summer time Olympics in Spain. Hwang is the second sportsman from an Asian nation to win an occasion on this competitors. Korean-born Kijung Son gained the Olympic title in 1936. On the Berlin 1936 Video games, he had been pressured to run within the colours of the occupying Japanese forces.

Badminton-Stage of Stars
Since 1985 SK grew to become one of the world’s finest groups. Lee Yong-Dae and Lee Hyo-Jung defeated Lilyana Natsir and Nova Widianto (Indonesia) within the blended doubles closing on the China Summer time Olympics in 2008. Korea positioned first on the 1996 Olympic Badminton Match within the States-it collected two gold and silver medals.

Baseball- SK vs Cuba
Baseball has come an extended away in South Korea. Its best 12 months was 2008, when Korea gained the gold on the Beijing Olympic Video games, beating Cuba, former world champion (1984-2005). Eight years in the past, they’d earned a bronze medal in Sydney 2000. When the Video games had been opened in China, the States-2007 world champion- and Cuba had been contending odds-on favorites.
The 12 months 1982 was very completely happy for Korea too. That 12 months they grew to become the primary Asian workforce to win a World Cup. The nationwide workforce got here near profitable the World Championships in 2005.

Girls’s Basketball-Asian Famous person
Surprisingly SK was runner-up on the FIBA Girls’s World Cup in Czechoslovakia within the late 1960s.In 1979, Korea, host nation, positioned second on the World Championships. They precipitated an upset within the second spherical of the World Cup by beating the favourite America (94-82). 4 years later, Korea was one of the semi-finalist within the Common Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil-behind the united states, America and the Individuals’s Republic. However they didn’t cease there. The next 12 months it earned silver on the Summer time Olympic Video games in California, USA. The workforce grew to become the primary ladies’s basket workforce in Asia to win an Olympic award.

Fencing-New Olympic Awards
In 2000 Younger Ho Kim lived as much as status as one of the in style Asian fencers by profitable a gold medal on the Summer time Video games. He’s the primary fencer from an Asian nation to win an Olympic title.

Discipline Hockey- A Main Asian Expertise
Previously few a long time, the Korean groups have gained three Olympic silver medals. Throughout this time period, SK grew to become the primary Asian feminine workforce to qualify for the Olympic finals. The nationwide males’s workforce gained silver on the 2000 Sydney Video games and had been fourth on the 2002 World Championships. In Australia they, spearheaded by Tune Seung-Tae, defeated India (2-Zero), Poland (Three-2), and Pakistan (1-Zero) earlier than dropping to the Netherlands (Four-5). Superb silver medal!

Girls’s Handball- Two Olympic Golds
This nation is the one profitable Asian workforce on the planet. In 1984 they grew to become the second Korean gamers in historical past to win a workforce Olympic medal on the Summer time Video games.

In 1988 Korea made historical past when it gained the Olympic gold medal with out ever having gained a World Cup title. The nationwide workforce, host nation, grew to become the primary non-European handball workforce to win a worldwide title in historical past. After the profitable the Asian Match in 1990, Korea certified for the 1992 Olympics and gained its second Olympic medal in a row.

At its fourth Olympic look, they claimed silver medal on the 26th Olympiad-only Denmark may beat SK. In the course of the 14th Asian Video games in 2002, Korea gained each the boys’s and girls’s handball tournaments. This sport was utterly unknown within the 1960s.

Judo- A Gold Mine for Medals
From 1981 to 2007, Korea has gained a complete of 21 gold medals within the World Championships. On the 1996 Atlanta Video games, the nationwide workforce gained seven judo medals (2 golds, Three silvers, 2 bronzes), behind solely Japan (Eight awards). In 1981 Park Chung Hak grew to become the primary judoka in SK to win a world trophy.

Brief-Observe Velocity Skating-New Olympic file!
SK is the one nation to have 17 Olympic gold medals. On the 2006 Turin Winter Video games, the nationwide workforce dominated the medal desk, with a complete of 10 awards (6 gold, Three silver and 1 bronze medals).

Capturing-Surprises
In Barceolona’92 it earned two Olympic golds, Lee Eun Chol (males’s free rifle) & Yeo Kab Quickly (ladies’s air rifle).

Soccer- Cha Bum-Kun, the Legend
In keeping with Park Pil-Quickly, Director of the Korean Olympic Committee, soccer is the preferred sport within the nation. “The preferred sport in Korea nowadays is soccer. Whereas baseball used to take the highest spot when it comes to reputation and the variety of spectators up to now, soccer gained many followers after the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which we hosted with Japan. Korea superior to the semifinals, which made us very enthusiastic about this sport”.

Within the early 80s, Korea positioned fourth on the FIFA Junior World Cup and have become the second Asian soccer workforce to qualify for the semi-finals in a worldwide event.

They’ve certified for the FIFA World Cup since 1986. On the 2002 Japan-South Korea, Cha Bum-Kun grew to become the most effective soccer gamers on the planet. Korea has gained 5 regional tournaments (two Asian Cups and three continental gold medals). On the 1948 Olympics within the UK, South Korea positioned eighth.

Swimming- The Street to Bejing
Park Tae-Hwan grew to become the primary swimmer in SK to win a gold medal within the Olympic Video games when he gained the boys’s 400m freestyle on the 29th Summer time Olympics in Beijing (China).Park’s first main worldwide success got here on the 2007 FINA World Championships, the place he gained a gold medal. The Korean star is the nation’s pre-eminent sporting icon.

Desk Tennis- A Conventional Sport
This sport is without doubt one of the oldest sports activities within the nation.Within the early 1970s, Korea made historical past when it gained a gold medal within the World Match. Between 1987 and 1993 it additionally earned 4 world trophies.

Taekwondo-Unbeatable Information
Some well-known taekwondo athletes have born in South Korea: Hwang Kyung-Seon, Kim Kyong-Hun, Lee Solar-Hee, and Moon Dae-Saung.

For a lot of a long time these athletes had been unbeatable on the planet. Korea has gained greater than 140 world titles (1975-2007). They’ve additionally dominated the Olympic Taekwondo Match. Since 2000 it has gained 9 golds.

Volleyball- A Sturdy Nationwide Group
This sport is without doubt one of the hottest within the nation. In 1987 the nationwide workforce claimed the FIVB Males’s Junior World Championship within the Persian Gulf, and was the third Korean workforce to win a worldwide title since 1977.

Once they arrived in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, the Korean workforce was not favourite.A while later Korea defeated Brazil, which gained the silver medal in 1984, Three-2 (19-17, 15-Eight, 6-15, 11-15, 15-12), on the Olympic Males’s Volleyball Match. Within the late 70s, Korea was semi-finalist on the World Championships in Italy. Within the qualifying rounds, they defeated Poland, Olympic champion, Three-1 (15-7, 11-15, 16-14, 15-10).

The Korean ladies’s nationwide workforce have additionally gained many worldwide trophies. Between 1973 and 1977 they earned three world bronze medals.

Weightlifting- A Darkish Horse
In 2006, Jang Mi-Ran, 2004 Olympic silver medalist, broke the world file within the + 75 kg class within the Center East.
Within the early 90s, Chun Byong Kwan, an unknown weightlifter, got here to the Barcelona Video games and gained the Olympic trophy.

Wrestling-Heroes of the Video games
Korea’s wrestlers have an extended custom of profitable awards. Within the mid-60s, Solar Jang Chang earned a gold medal on the World Cup within the States. He grew to become one of the first Koreans to win a worldwide title. Within the final decade of the 20th century, the nationwide workforce gained 9 common awards.

IX – Man Bok Park- A Excellent Coach
Regardless of engaging gives from many countries, he remained in Peru. Within the mid-1970s, Man Bok Park got here to Lima and have become one of the world’s finest coaches.

Led by Park, Peru was runner-up on the 1982 FIVB World Championships and silver medal on the 24th Summer time Olympics. Korea’s Man Bok Park grew to become the primary coach to steer a Latin American feminine workforce to the Olympic finals in 1988. In 1980 Cuba, Olympic’s favourite, didn’t qualify for the semi-finals on the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Underneath the recommendation of Man Bok Park, the Peruvian ladies’s volleyball squad defeated Brazil a number of instances and gained greater than six South American Championships. After the Golden Age for Peru, nation’s volleyball workforce had been by no means as profitable once more on the World Championships.

X -Younger Wang Sonh’s Legacy
However Man Bok Park was not alone! On the identical time, the Argentine males’s volleyball squad was skilled by Younger Wang Sonh.This South Korean is a pioneer of Argentina’s volleyball.Younger Wang Sonh led the South American workforce to win the bronze medal on the 1982 World Championships.

He has turn out to be probably the most profitable coach within the historical past of Argentine volleyball.

As we speak Argentina is producing an ever-increasing variety of world-class coaches-Julio Velasco (Italy), Jon Uriarte (Argentina & Australia), Carlos Cardona (Puerto Rico), Marcelo R. Mendez (Spain), and Raúl Lozano (Poland).

XI -A Statistical Comparability
SK: 2006 Winter Olympics
Nation……….Gold……Silver…..Bronze…Rating
SK………………..6………..Three……….2…………..seventh
Italy………………5…………Zero………6………….ninth
France………….Three…………2……….Four…………10th
China…………..2…………Four………5………….14th
Japan…………..1………….Zero………Zero………….18th

Asian Video games Medals
Hosts…………Gold……Silver…….Bronze….Complete…Rank
Doha 2008……58………52…………82………192……..2
Busan 2002….96………80………….84………260……..2
Bangkok’98…..65………46…………53……….164………2
Japan’94……..63………56…………64………..183……..Three
China’90……..54………54………….73…………181……..2
Korea’86……..93………55………….76…………224……..2
India’82………..28…….28………….37………….93………Three
Bangkok ’78…..18…….13………….23………….54………2
Iran’74………….15…….14………..17…………..46………5
Bangkok’70…….18…….13………..23…………..54………2
Bangkok’66…….12…….18…………21…………..51……..,2
Jakarta’62………Four………Four………….7…………..15……….5
Japan’58………..Eight………7………..12…………..27………Three
Manila’54………..Eight………6…………5…………..19………Three

XII -References
Almanaque Deportivo Mundial 1976, Editorial America, 1977

Almanaque Deportivo Mundial 1977, Editorial America, 1978

El Grafico. “Este Podio Vale una Lagrima y un Grito”, 19 de octubre de 1982

Guevara Onofre, Alejandro. “Historia del Deporte en America Latina”
————————-“El Deporte en el Sur”

Leipziger, Danny & Thomas Vinad. “Las Bases del Exito del Asia Oriental”, Revista Finanzas y Desarrollo, marzo 1994

White, Peter. T. “South Korea: What Subsequent?”, Nationwide Geographic, September 1975

Yun-han Chu, Larry Diamond, Doh Chull Shin. “Halting Progress in Korea and Taiwan”, Journal of Democracy, January 2001

1988 Seoul Official Report Quantity 2, IOC, 1989

2000 Sydney Official Report Quantity 2, IOC, 2001

2006 Torino Olympic Winter Video games Official Outcomes,IOC, 2007

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He’s a contract author. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has revealed greater than seventy-five analysis paper in English, and greater than twenty in Spanish, in regards to the world points, olympic sports activities, international locations, and tourism. His subsequent essay is known as “The Dictator and Alicia Alonso”. He’s an skilled on overseas affairs. Alejandro is the primary writer who has revealed a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.