Earlier this month, there was a post that heated up social media. "Older people wearing clothes that said 'Team Korea' filled three or four rows from the front row in men's archery at the Paris Olympics and interfered loudly when the opponent was dragging his bow," the writer wrote. "They are the chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary-general of local governments across the country. They were provided with accommodation and game tickets with taxpayers' money." The comment spread under the title of 'Disgrace of the Country of Olympic Games'. The KOC explained that it is an observation team run by local sports associations to learn how to host international competitions. Many pointed out that it has nothing to do with local sports organizations and operation of international competitions.
Upon examining the details, however, some participants were not even executives of local sports organizations. According to the data submitted by the Korean Sports Council to the office of Kim Seung-soo, a member of the People's Power, 98 people attended the Paris Olympics in three sessions (32, 40 and 26) each for six days from July 27 to August 11. Six people were involved in the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, including the head of a fisheries cooperative and the head of a private hospital in Seoul. Some were former government officials who served as the secretary-general of the association. The committee also included three officials who are not related to the Olympics. The organization is headed by Lee Ki-heung, chairman of the association.
The association fully supported them with all expenses except for airfare. They spent 420 million won (390,000 U.S. dollars) just for their stay, including accommodation, food and transportation, and interpretation. They spent about 160 million won (126,000 dollars) on admission tickets to the stadium. "The operation of local sports associations and international competitions is just an excuse, and it is a business trip to overseas to win the hearts of people from all walks of life," a source in the sports community said. "The background is the election of the chairman of the Korea Sports Council next year. We are trying to help Lee Ki-heung to serve his third consecutive term."
He also visited Paris. The visitors toured the Rodin Museum and Giverny (a small city 70 kilometers away from Paris) in Paris under the pretext of "cultural exploration." He also saw "Playing in Korea" exhibition at the Korean Cultural Center in France. Admission to the museum and other tourist attractions alone was 8.2 million won (approximately 8 million U.S. dollars).
Earlier, the KOC explained that it operated the observation team with about 600 million won (approx. This meant that it received the money from member organizations or related companies and did not use tax money. However, it is said that the name of the donation included not only the observation team but also the operation of the team and support group. The donation was not related to the original purpose, so the donation was used. "It does not make sense to use all the donations that were made in the name of support for the Paris Olympic team and support group other than support for the observation team to operate the observation team," Rep. Kim Seung-soo said. "Moreover, matters that are provided for personnel who do not fit the purpose of the observation team and visits to tourist attractions should be corrected according to the public's eye level."
The KOC feels unfair. A source at the association said, "Those who are not local sports officials among the participants helped establish and manage Jincheon Training Center. They are those who are involved in hosting and running international competitions such as the Olympics." Regarding tourism exploration, he said, "Sports competitions are one of the important parts not only in Gyeonggi Province but also in exploring the city's culture." When asked about donations, he said, "We are definitely sorting out the names of donations again."
BY: 토토사이트 모음