The Korean athletes are entering the closing ceremony of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China on the 28th. Provided by Korea Sports Association for the Disabled
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games ended on the 28th. The Korean team won 103 medals (30 gold, 33 silver, and 40 bronze), ranking 4th overall in terms of gold medals. Although it fell short of the number of gold medals (39) originally set as a goal, the ranking was good. First place is China, which swept 521 medals (214 gold, 167 silver, 140 bronze), followed by Iran (44), Japan (42), right ahead of Korea in gold medals, India (29), and Indonesia (29). ), Thailand (27), and Uzbekistan (25) were located right behind Korea. There are still many things to compare with the non-disabled Asian Games, such as the China Sports Festival and Iran’s advancement, but if I had to choose one number to look at only for the Korean athletes, it would be ‘age’. The average ages of the non-disabled and disabled national teams that visited Hangzhou about two weeks apart were 26.6 and 39.1 years old, respectively. The disabled athletes were 12.5 years older than the non-disabled athletes. The proportion of people in their 40s is 23%, and the proportion of those in their 50s or older is 26%.
Kim Ok-geum (left) and Park Hong-jo won the gold medal in archery mixed doubles. Provided by Korea Sports Association for the Disabled
Many of the leading figures who led Korea’s Asian Para Games medal race last week are in this age group. Archery mixed doubles champion Kim Ok-geum is 63 years old and competes in handcycling. Lee Do-yeon, who won three games in a rowis 51 years old, double table tennis champion Joo Young-dae is 50 years old, ‘living legend’ Jeon Min-jae, who won two precious silver medals in track and field, and ‘shooting king’ Park Jin-ho, who holds the world record in the air rifle R1 finals and finals, are 46 years old. The list continues one after another. The presence of a veteran is amazing, but it also casts a shadow. It is a slow generational change. High dependence on veterans also means that the back wave that will replace the history of the previous generation is weak. This is a problem that was constantly pointed out in the settlement of the Asian Games for non-disabled people, and the situation is no different in sports for the disabled. However, the problem is that ‘generational change’ in disabled sports is a slightly more complicated task.
Yoo Soo-young wins the silver medal in badminton men’s singles. Provided by Korea Sports Association for the Disabled
The Korea Sports Council for the Disabled has been promoting a basic sports development project since 2018 to discover and nurture promising athletes from a young age. Promising players are recommended from provincial and provincial sports associations for the disabled and schools across the country, and the sports associations for the disabled visit them directly to evaluate their potential and provide opportunities. Badminton Yoo Soo-young (20), who made her debut on the Asian stage by winning medals (1 silver, 2 bronze) in all events at this competition, is a representative player to be fostered. Although it is a major project of the Sports Council for the Disabled, which is deeply concerned about generational change, it also has limitations. According to special education statistics (2023) released by the Ministry of Education, there are 109,703 students with disabilities in Korea. The Korea Sports Association for the Disabled estimates that about 10,000 of these people are “capable of participating in sports for the disabled, such as the Paralympic Games” (Athletes’ Village Director Park Jong-cheol). It’s a narrow number. Finding elite talent within this environment is not easy.
Seo Soo-yeon, who achieved three table tennis titles. Provided by Korea Sports Association for the Disabled
More importantly, the causes of disability are usually acquired. Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs’ ‘2020’ Disability survey reportAccording to ‘, 8 out of 10 disabled people became disabled due to an acquired disease or accident. Considering that the proportion of congenitally disabled students is higher among younger students, the talent pool for sports for the disabled is much wider. In other words, the keyword more important than ‘generational change’ in disabled sports is ‘expanding the base’. Let’s take a look at the only three winners in Korea at this tournament. Kim Jeong-bin (31, cyclist) suffered from a disease that caused her vision to rapidly decline since she was in middle school, and Seo Soo-yeon (37, table tennis) was paralyzed from the waist down due to a medical accident when she was a freshman in college. At some point in their lives, they first encountered disability, and then they encountered sports. Many disabled people live without having a ‘second encounter’ because they are unaware of the existence of disabled sports or have no way to access them.
Kim Jeong-bin (right), who won three cycling titles, and his racing partner Yoon Jung-heon. Provided by Korea Sports Association for the Disabled
Kim Jin-hyuk, a restaurant businessman and a person with an acquired disability himself, who led the Korean team for this tournament, said, “When I was hospitalized, only religious groups and insurance companies came to me, and no one recommended sports activities,” adding, “Even now, I am seeing disabled people lying in their rooms. “We need to call them to the sports field,” he said. What is more important than the age of the athletes is the number of disabled people playing sports. The true meaning of generational change lies here. Hangzhou/Reporter Park Kang-soo [email protected]
2023-10-29 00:14:32
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