Korea Paralympic Committee President Lee Myung-ho delivers his congratulatory address at Korea House during its opening ceremony at the Gangneung Olympic Park on March 10.
By Xu Aiying and Yoon Sojung
Photos = Jeon Han
Gangneung l March 10, 2018
“I hope all the athletes can enjoy the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics,” said Korea Paralympic Committee President Lee Myung-ho.
The Korea Paralympic Committee president said during its opening ceremony at the Gangneung Olympic Park on March 10 that his committee had worked hard to prepare for the event so that not only the athletes but also their families and the audience could also enjoy the great winter para sports festival.
Lee Myung-ho is a former Paralympian who won a bronze medal in weightlifting at the Asian Para Games 1999 in Bangkok, and is considered to be a living legend in the history of Korean Paralympic sports. As the head of the Korean Paralympic Committee, Lee has been preparing for the PyeongChang Paralympics in every single detail so that the Games would satisfy everyone.
“In 1988, Korea successfully hosted both the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games at the same time, becoming the first country in the world to host the two events,” he said.
“I hope we can complete Korea’s 30-year history of the Olympics by successfully hosting the PyeongChang Paralympics, as Korea is the first country to host the two Games,” said Lee.
Korean Paralympic Committee President Lee Myung-ho says he hopes that all athletes can enjoy the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics, at Korea House during its opening ceremony at the Gangneung Olympic Park on March 10.
“It is meaningful to experience the joy and honor of participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, both of which Korea is hosting once again,” he said with a smile.
Korea.net sat down with Lee to learn more about the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
– A total of 570 athletes from 49 countries will take part in the 2018 Winter Paralympics. What do you expect the athletes to learn at the PyeongChang Paralympics?
The athletes from countries that have an advanced sports infrastructure seem to enjoy the sport itself. If one cares too much about their performance, however, they seem to have less desirable results. I hope that the athletes can enjoy the Games themselves rather than being concerned about the results, and make some wonderful memories here.
– Team Korea aims to come in 10th place in the overall medal standings, with its athletes participating in all six sporting disciplines. What preparations has the team undergone so far in order to achieve that goal?
Science has a greater effect on performance in today’s sports. It applies the same in the Paralympics. We use a lot of sport science and more athletes are training overseas than in the past, for better performances. We also scouted overseas experts in many fields to help with our athletes’ training.
– Not only the athletes, but many in the audience seem to have physical disabilities. What facilities have you prepared for them?
There’s a fixed manual of standards for Paralympic Game venues and the athletes’ villages.
I can understand better what difficulties disabled athletes or tourists would have. We tried to take care of every single details in this regard, and we’re using them all ourselves. So there shouldn’t be any problem.
– What do you wish to say to our readers from around the world who are watching the PyeongChang Paralympics?
In the past, Korea used to lack a lot of infrastructure for disabled sports. However, I wish to say that, as the host of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Korea now has the same level of welfare and facilities for the disabled as any other advanced country.
xuaiy@korea.kr
