The national wheelchair curling team practices at a new wheelchair curling stadium that opened on Jan. 13 at the Icheon Training Center of the Korea Paralympic Committee in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province.
With the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games soon to begin, a stadium specially designed for wheelchair curling has just opened its doors. The venue will allow athletes from both home and abroad to undertake training and to compete in international competitions, too.
Opened on Jan. 13 at the Icheon Training Center, affiliated with the Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC), in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, the stadium, a two-story building that covers an area of 4,360 square meters, features an ice rink with a total of four curling lanes.
It’s equipped with an IP Network Camera system that features remote controls on several cameras that videotape the athletes during competitions or training sessions. The system aims to then analyze and improve the players’ athletic performance. In particular, the four-lane ice rink here is similar in quality to that constructed for the upcoming 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province.
“Korea has had only three wheelchair curling training centers before, first in Taeneung, Seoul, then in Euiseong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and Seonhak, Incheon,” said national team coach Baek Jong-chul. “Due to a lack of training venues, it has always been hard to rent a venue to train. Now that we have a new great stadium, we'll be able to bring out our best and see some great results in Pyeongchang,” he said.
Athletes adapt to the ice quality at the newly built Icheon wheelchair curling stadium, a training center on par with the venue that will be used in the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.
“This new Icheon stadium will serve international athletes, especially, those who will participate in the PyeongChang Games and, also, in the Beijing Paralympic Games, set for 2018 and 2022, respectively,” said an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “It’s expected to help increase sporting exchanges among physically-impaired athletes from around the world.”
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: KPC
jiae5853@korea.kr
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