미래가치를 창출하는 글로컬 산학일체 혁신대학
Archery in South Korea
By Choi Yong-il Cub Reporter, Sophomore of Chemical and Biological Engineering
You felt that Korean archery was great when watching it not only at the Paris Olympics but also at the previous Olympics. Then how did Korea become a powerful nation of archery? Let’s find out the secret of how Korean archery obtains great skills and achievements.
Korean Archery Record
In previous Olympics, South Korea ranked first with 32 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals. Especially, it shows an overwhelming difference from the United States, which ranked second with 14 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals. The women’s team event won the gold medal in the Paris Olympics and has not missed a gold medal in more than 30 years since the 1988 Seoul Olympics when the women’s team event was first held. Not only is it the only record in the world, but it is also a rare record compared to other Olympic events.
Korean Archery Association’s fair system
The contest to select the athletes of the national team is held every year. In the selection contest, there are no additional points for past grades or careers, and only the score from the contest is evaluated. At the Tokyo Olympics, the athlete’s skills could change because of the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics. This is the reason why they held the selection contest again. Also, they block factions by rotating the coach and manager cyclically.
Korean Athlete’s Training
To prepare for the Olympics, the Korean Archery Association built a training center such as an Olympic stadium. Therefore, they made athletes special training such as an actual event. The athletes train with a big speaker next to them and at the baseball park against noise. Also, they go off-season training the same with the local environment. In this way, the Korea Archery Association studies and prepares for all the variables that may occur in the Olympics and conducts actual training. Before the 2001 Beijing World Championships, the Korea men’s archery team refused special training, the Korea Archery Association showed the importance of training by kicking out this team.
Korean Archery Association’s support system
Currently, there are 900 elementary school athletes, and from the moment they hold the bow, the Korea Archery Association provides all equipment and expenses for a year. If selected for the elementary school youth national team, Korea Archery Association supports the necessary equipment and helps with training. Archery is the only event in Korea that does not have a private education. Therefore it reduces the student’s financial burden and provides equal opportunities. Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, is the president of the Korea Archery Association and has sponsored archery for 40 years since 1985. It is known that Chairman Chung Eui-sun supports 40-60 percent of the Korea Archery Association’s budget. At the Rio Olympics, he provided private bodyguards and bulletproof cars because of security issues in Brazil. Because of the poor local facilities, he also provided trailers with showers and physical therapy rooms. Through research and development, Hyundai Motor Group is supporting various technologies in several fields. For example, Precision shooting machines, automatic scoring devices, heart rate measuring equipment, deep learning vision artificial intelligence coaches, and athlete’s specific grips. The story of archer Ku Bon-chan placing his gold medal around Chairman Chung Eui-sun’s neck after winning the individual event at the Rio Olympics is still widely talked about. Other archers also expressed their gratitude for Chairman Chung Eui-sun’s full support. So far, we have thoroughly explored the background and methods behind how Korea archery has achieved great results. I hope you are proud of Korean archery and have a deep interest in Korean archery.