Medal Drops Are Mental: This Diagnosis Is the Real Problem
“It means a lot to me to come to camp.” (Archer Kang Chae-young)
“Let’s win gold with the spirit of a Marine.” (Fencer Koo Bon-gil)
These are the words of national athletes who participated in the One Team Korea Camp, an initiative by the Korean Olympic Committee to prepare for the Paris 2024 Games.
For three days and two nights at the Marine Corps 1st Marine Division in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, more than 500 national athletes and officials from each sport had a completely new experience away from the athletes’ village or stadium.
In a video provided by the Korean Sports Ministry, the athletes’ faces were bright and their spirits were lifted.
At the request of the KOC, the duration and intensity of the training was drastically reduced, with little physical demands on the athletes, and only volunteers were allowed to enter the water and ride in an amphibious assault vehicle.
Marine Corps training, which is much more rigorous than this, has been used by large companies in the past as a training ground for employees, and sometimes examinees attend the camp.
As long as the athletes had a good time and gained strength, there’s no reason to view Marine Corps training negatively.
However, it’s important to consider the rationality of mobilizing a national team on a large scale.
A satisfactory result does not justify the process.
Initially, the initiative was sparked by comments from the president of the Korean Olympic Committee, Lee Ki-heung. “
We will have national athletes undergo Marine Corps training from next year,” Lee said at the closing ceremony of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in October. 먹튀검증
He cited weak mental strength as a factor in Korea’s poor performance at the Asian Games and Olympics since 2018.
But athletes may have a different view of mental strength.
For the world’s best high jumper, Woo Sang-hyuk, a constant smile is his mantra for mental strength.
Former national volleyball player Kim Se-jin always has a book with her, and it’s another way for athletes to balance their minds and bodies by reading or listening to music.
It’s also problematic to blame the mental strength of athletes for the decline in national team performance.
There is no specific direction or vision for how to improve athletes’ performance, such as scientizing training methods, developing tactics, and expanding the base.
This is why the KOC’s mindset, which relies on Marine Corps extreme training, is criticized as outdated.
Chairman Lee Ki-heung’s ‘my way’ approach is also a problem.
There are extreme camps for athletes in foreign countries, but they are decided by asking them if they want to participate, and opinions are raised from the bottom up.
South Korea’s lackluster performance in international competitions is a reflection of the complex socio-cultural realities surrounding the sport.
There is a growing backlash against the sexualization of elite sports, yet the majority of South Koreans show a duality in their enthusiasm for Son Heung-min’s goal.
In a society that divides academics and athletics into a dichotomy, an athlete’s existential struggle to win first place at the Olympics is often ignored.
The solution to underperformance lies at a point many times more difficult than Marine Corps combat training.
While athletes have said that “the camp has helped me develop more physical strength and competitive spirit,” others have seen the farce of Lee’s wartime administration.
