In hopes of continuing the golden trail to the Kazan Universiade

With the Summer Universiade, the festival of college sports, occurring this July in Kazan, Russia, the national Korean team, at the Taereung training center, is in full training mode. Even though I have experienced many international events such as the World Championships, Asian Games, and Olympics, this upcoming Universiade has a special meaning for me.

It is the first Universiade that I will be taking part in as a university student, and I also have the huge responsibility of fulfilling my position as the honorary ambassador of the next host city, 2015 Gwangju Universiade. Especially many talented Russian gymnasts are expected to participate in the Kazan Universiade which will provide a high level ground of competition.

The Universiade is a competition event held biannually and with the participants being amateur college athletes between the ages 17 to 28, it can be called a commercial-free Olympics. Since professional athletes are not eligible to participate, it creates an atmosphere of genuine sports spirit as well as providing a scene of global friendship and unity between the young athletes worldwide.

I believe the Universiade has always played an important role in the history of Korean sports by discovering new star athletes as well as providing the opportunity for rookie athletes to advance globally. Korea first became associated with the Summer Universiade in 1959 at the 1st Summer Universiade held in Torino, Italy.

The first Korean gold medal came out of the women's basketball team in the 5th Tokyo Summer Universiade, in 1967, just 8 years later. This precedes the gold medal won by wrestler, Yang Jung-mo at the Montreal Olympics, in 1976, and is recorded as the first gold medal that came out of a Summer Olympiad for the Korean team.

Universiade is especially meaningful to Korean gymnastics, as Korea's legendary gymnast Yeo Hong-cheol won the very first Korean gold medal in gymnastics at the Sheffield Summer Universiade in 1991. He continued his winning streak with a silver medal at the Buffalo Summer Universiade in 1993, another silver medal at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, and a gold medal at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998, bringing a great change to the history of gymnastics in Korea.

Also at the 2003 Daegu Universiade, Yang Tae-young won four gold medals in team and individual events, winning the most medals and becoming the biggest star athlete of the games.

The Universiade has become a stage for many athletes to make a name for themselves. Ben Johnson of athletics (Canada), Chou Chou Nova of gymnastics (Russia), Nadia Comaneci (Romania) are some names that have made their debuts through the Universiade as well as Korean national marathon hero, Hwang Young-jo, who won with the best record at the Sheffield Summer Universiade in 1991 and made his debut into the world.

The 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade, which will be held in two years time, will serve as a stage for young athletes to develop and advance globally. The rookies wishing to make an international profile through the Gwangju Universiade as well as those wishing to advance to the Brazil Olympics in 2016 are putting their full effort in training at the Taereung training center and preparing for the moment to shine a light on their passion and youth.

For the athletes to fully perform at the best of their ability and compete with worldwide athletes in Gwangju, construction of infrastructure, development of talented athletes, and continued support and attention from the public is necessary.

As a participant of the Kazan Universiade and an honorary ambassador of the 2015 Gwangju Universiade, I am excited to see whether another star athlete will be born through the future Universiades. I hope that through the 2015 Gwangju Universiade, Korea, as well as the whole world, has the opportunity to write a new chapter in the history of sports.

Written by Yang Hak-Sun

2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade Honorary Ambassador

& 2012 London Olympic Gold Medalist

For more information contact: Sara Shim, PR & Media Division

+82 62 616 3832, e-mail: sarashim@gwangju2015.com

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