Debts, Empty Seats Taint Start of Asiad

SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2014 INCHEON: Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium yesterday. — AFP Iranian flies flag as Debts, empty seats the strongest man INCHEON: China are expected to dominate weightlifting taint start of Asiad at the Asian Games starting today, but it is an Iranian great who is out to confirm his legend as the world’s strongest man. Among the behemoths of the sport, the reigning INCHEON: The Asian Games is just start- Thousands of opening ceremony tickets the 1988 Seoul Olympics were widely Olympic, Asian and former world superheavyweight ing in Incheon, but the prospect of emp- were still available on Thursday night hailed, Park said times have changed (+105kg) champion is Salimi Behdad, who was picked to ty stadiums for the next two weeks and and tens of thousands for the October 4 and spectators are more difficult to find. carry Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony yesterday. high debt for many years is already mak- closing ceremony which Yoo said had “Our biggest concern is the economy. “It’s for the first time I’ve been chosen as the Iran’s flag- ing the continent’s biggest sporting reached about 20 percent of its financial Young people have new interests in bearer and I am so happy,” he told the Tehran Times. event feel unloved. target. Yoo acknowledged that the leisure and personal activities like the “Undoubtedly, it’s on a par with winning an Olympics gold The mayor of South Korea’s third city number of seats sold was much lower Internet, not sports. The highly digital- medal for me.” Behdad broke the snatch world record by admitted on the eve of yesterday’s open- than the sales targets, but insisted that ized society is another reason. People hoisting 214kg at the world championships in Paris in ing ceremony-featuring classical pianist interest is growing and there is a “visible can watch the Games real-time on their 2011, where he took gold with a Herculean aggregate of Lang Lang and Korean pop stars such as rise in ticket sales”. smartphones without going to the stadi- 464kg-just 8kg shy of the long-standing combined world Psy-that Incheon is in financial trouble ums,” he said. record. He was not selected by Iran to defend his world over the cost. No cheers from the North Housewife Park Sung-Ae said she and title last year in Poland after a dispute with his coach. Inhabitants are not convinced that Mayor Yoo Jeong-Bok acknowledged friends had wanted tickets for events But that was all forgotten as the Iranian squad depart- the event, for which 17 new venues have the financial pain. He said North Korea’s featuring popular South Korean sports ed Tehran and the explosive powerhouse vowed to raise been built for the sporting stars from decision to withdraw its female cheer- stars, but none were left. “Public interest the bar by breaking his own world snatch mark in Incheon. across Asia, is worth it. There is no queue leaders-secretly widely admired in the in the Asian Games is not so strong, and “I intend to hold over my head the record weight,” he was of countries at the Olympic Council of South, despite the decades of frosty people are not willing to spend money quoted as saying at the airport. Weightlifting, which Asia to put on future Asiads, which rivalry-had been a blow. “The North on unpopular sports. We are more con- begins today, will be a main attraction over the first seven means hosting nearly 10,000 athletes Korean cheerleaders would have con- cerned about our budgets. Some people days of the Asiad as medals are up for grabs in 15 weight and thousands of coaches, officials and tributed much to our show and also to think South Korea should not waste tax- categories-seven for women and eight for men. Each ath- journalists. There were less than 100 improving relations between the two payers’ money on costly international lete can make three attempts in two disciplines, the people in the Goyang Stadium when Koreas,” Yoo told the Yonhap national events any more because they will result snatch and the clean and jerk, with the highest aggregate Jordan’s football team beat United Arab news agency. “It’s true our financial bur- in increased taxes.” weight winning. Emirates, silver medalists in the Asian den has increased due to the Asian Lee Jung-Ae, a 33-year-old housewife, China dominated at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, Games four years ago, on Thursday Games. However I believe it will raise the was more upbeat. “The Asian Games will winning eight golds, two silvers and a bronze. Two night. Thousands of tickets remained on brand value of our city” and attract for- help our country and city to build their Chinese gold medallists from 2010 are back to defend sale for yesterday’s glittering opening eign investors, he added. The Games image. I also believe it will help reacti- their titles-Wu Jingbiao (men’s 56kg) and Yang Zhe (men’s extravaganza in a 62,000 capacity stadi- have cost nearly $2 billion, and Incheon vate our regional economy,” she said. 105kg). In the men’s 62kg, Chen Lijun is just 21 years old um. Incheon officials acknowledged this is now South Korea’s most indebted city. Much has been made of the $32 billion but already has pocketed a world championships gold week that barely 18 percent of tickets There are new tower blocks, a metro line, in debt left after the Chinese city of which he won on his senior international debut last year. have been sold for the Games, which run and sparkling sports facilities. Guangzhou staged the Games four years Kazakhstan were the next-best nation four years ago, car- until October 4. The city has since decid- Inhabitants say, however, there is little ago. And the Olympic Council of Asia rying off three golds. But they will hard-pressed to repeat ed only to report ticket receipts rather sign of the 200,000 visitors that organiz- executive board said that chose that haul with a largely inexperienced team led by than numbers sold. A city spokeswoman, ers have been counting on. Indonesia to hold the 2018 Games after Olympic and world champion Zulfiya Chinshanlo Yoo Ji-Hyun, said yesterday that overall Park Song-Moo, 43, an Incheon office Vietnam withdrew this year because of (women’s 53kg). —AFP the Games had reached 55 percent of its worker, said: “Big sporting events do not the high cost. No-one else was ready to 35 billion won ($335 million) target. attract public attention any more”. While stand in. — AFP .

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