Feature: Interviews with the people who make the preparations for the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011 possible.

Mr. Dong-Hoo Moon has led a very impressive career in athletics event management from the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, to becoming the Secretary General for the World Taekwondo Federation and the 2002 Korea/Japan FIFA World Cup. He is now the driving force behind the Organizing Committee for the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011.

As one of the few people to work for all three of the world's major sporting events, Mr. Moon has developed quite an expertise in the field of event management. However, during university, his major was far from sports. While attending Seoul National University studied law and began his career as a government official.

I had a few questions to ask Mr. Moon about his amazing career.

Q1. How did you begin your career in the sports administration field? Was it one of your  childhood dreams?

To be completely honest, no, I never thought about this career as an option when I was a student. My first real relationship with the sports administration field began during the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. I was in the United States studying and I heard some very interesting news. I was surprised too learn that Seoul would host the 1988 Olympic Games. At first I was very suspicious about this news; that was until I check again for confirmation. At the time, I didn't imagine working for this event. But much to my surprise I was sent to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee as soon as I returned from the United States. I feel that this was my first real step into joining this field.

It was no wonder he was surprised to hear the news of Korea being the next host for the Olympic Games. During this time, the term ‘sports management’ didn’t exist in Korea . Korea has come a long way since the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.



Q2. What are some of the most outstanding accomplishments of the 2002 Korea/Japan FIFA World Cup as former Organizing Committee Secretary-General?

Every time I think about the 2002 FIFA World Cup, it makes me smile. We had a great team who did an excellent job preparing for the event. It was here that  we saw for the first time how contagious a sports event could be, and how it transcended so many national and cultural boundaries. This was especially evident in the photographs of the downtown area where every inch was covered with people cheering.

In a post-event survey, it showed that after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup the world changed its view about Korea, from a less developed country to a world leader.

The 2002 World Cup was a miraculous achievement in itself. It was much more meaningful that Profits or Losses, or investment calculations. The event drew in Koreans from all over the world, and created a much needed sense of unity.

Q3. Why did you assume your current position as the Vice President and Secretary General for the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011?

The main reason for taking this position was to give back to my hometown, Daegu. I knew I could do this job because of my experiences in the past. During the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, I was the Competition Director. I was responsible for the arrangement of the entire program for 27 events. This included the administrative duties pertaining to all of the participating teams. This position gave me invaluable experience which led to my greater understanding of athletics flow and management. I believe that I was also granted this position because of my time as the Secretary General for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where I further developed my knowledge in international event management.

Many would agree that Mr. Moon is one of the best sports administrator’s  the nation has to offer. With his leadership  no one is in doubt that the event will be the best ever.

The LOC is a temporary organization formed to prepare for the 2011 World Championships. I wondered how Mr. Moon brought all these experts together and is able to lead them in a manner that creates such a powerful energy.

Q4. What leadership  model do you implement in the Daegu 2011 LOC?

I like to help our staff remember that the best way to organize an event is to leave an honorable lasting legacy. If we share in this idea, we know that we must work and coordinate together in order to achieve our shared goals. It is sometimes not easy to do this as many of the staff come from different backgrounds and even cultures, but this is where I come in. The most important part of my job is to adjust these differences and to support the harmonious environment within the LOC.

We all learn how to be a good leader, but being one in real life is a different story. The key to managing a large organization is finding the proper balance between people.

Q5. What is the most important goal in preparing for this event?

First of all, I would have to say that we have to make sure that everything in the event should be prepared to perfection. We need to set up a festival where the athletes can hear the roar of the spectators as they compete and the scenes of achievements must be broadcasted to the world. With this environment, we can create the best possible conditions for the athletes to break and set new records at Daegu Stadium.

That being said, it is also very important that we improve the standards of Korean Athletics. As you know athletics events make up 47 of Gold Medals available at the Olympic Games. I believe that athletics is the foundation of the Olympics therefore it is important for Korea to become proficient in these events. In order to become a country known for athletics and to increase the nation’s enthusiasm in the sport, we must develop national athletics from the ground up, working as a country to raise our athletes to a new level.

Finally, the stadium must be filled with spectators. We need to create the atmosphere in Daegu Stadium where spectators cheer and athletes compete at their best.

With these preparations for this event that Daegu will become known to the world as the city of athletics. I want to make sure that Daegu becomes a city that everyone wants to visit after this event.

Q6. What is the most important thing right now for the Organization of the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011?

For this event, we have constructed, renovated, and refurnished the facilities which will be used during the World Championships. We are undergoing major preparations so that Daegu Stadium will be a great host venue to host this world-class event. We successfully hosted a concert on 30 September at the stadium using our newly installed sound system. Usually, sound system in cement buildings creates an echo that spectators can hardly hear anything clearly. But with the new sound system, we are able to minimize the echo and now hear clear sound in all seats in the stadium. We also installed two new HD LED Screens which are larger and clearer than the old ones. Finally we have resurfaced our track with a new, blue, Mondo track which will provide the athletes with the best possible surface to compete on. The LOC has also confirmed that the Athletes’ Village is nearing 70% completion, and all of our other projects are being finalized without issue.

The only thing that I am currently worried about is the ticket sales. It has been over one month since we launched the ticket sales, but we have only reached 1% of our sales target. Realistically, it will not be easy to sell out our 66,000 seat stadium, but we must strive to achieve it. We look forward to hearing the spectators say “It’s so nice to be here.”

It is sad to say that there are not many athletics fans in Korea, it is very hard to attract the spectators and bring them to the stadium. However, the IAAF World Championships is the international event where everyone’s participation is essential for us to have success. Hosting this event is an honor for both Daegu Citizens and Koreans as a whole. With the success of this event, the world will have a better view of our city and our country.

Q7. If this event ended today and was a success, what would you like to do next?

In my 30 years as a civil servant, I have spent 40 percent of my career working in the sports administration field. This is not common in Korea, so I would really like to share my experiences of hosting world class events with the future generations.

Q8. Do you have any words for the netizens who are awaiting the arrival of the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011?

We will make this IAAF World Championships the benchmark for all others. We will host it with more attractions than any other international sporting event before. With the event, various cultural events are ready for the spectators to experience every aspects of this beautiful city. I really hope to see you all here in Daegu 2011 and enjoy our event, food, and culture!

Mr. Moon always remains calm and relaxed, but after the interview I could feel his passion to create the best ever IAAF World Championships. I hope this event will be as successful as the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

The Introduction of IAAF: Part 1 – Foundation and Growth

In many countries athletics was banned by royal ordinances along with other sporting events until the 16th Century because sports were believed to interfere with archery, the key military training discipline. In the 17th Century, athletics was revived and in the 18th Century, long-distance races took place on public roads in various areas. The runners were later arranged to go around a designated stadium as requested by the public which was interested in watching the competitions.

It was in the 1840s that colleges and universities began to re-adopted and sponsor athletic events. Athletics populatiry continued to grow quickl from the 1880's to the 1920's as many nations established their own national sports associations.

As the Olympic Games and international athletics developed, there was a need for an international organization to steer the athletics championships. The organization was required to establish an universal set of rules and regulations, as well as develop a certification system for the Olympic Games and World Records.

 

A conference was held two days after the closing ceremony of the Stockholm Olympic Games, which was attended by representatives from 17 countries, namely: U.S.A., Greece, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Australia, Austria, Egypt, England, Chile, Canada, Finland, France, and Hungary.

The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was thus founded as the head of the international athletics organizations.

According to the IAAF, the Stockholm Congress was recorded as the First Official Congress, as it was there that the foundations for all other Congresses were established.

In 1913, the first edition of the IAAF Constitution was approved by the Berlin Congress in Germany, where 34 nations were registered as members of the IAAF. The Berlin Congress also elected J. Sigfried Edström (SWE) as the first President of the IAAF; Kristian Hellström (SWE) was elected as the Honorary Secretary/Treasurer. 

In 1914, the Lyon Congress in France approved the first technical rules for international competitions and the inaugural list of official world records. Subsequent congresses laid out the foundations that helped propel the sport of athletics and the IAAF as we know today. Among the achievements were:

Year	Congress	Achievement
1926	8th Congress The Hague (NED)	Rules for photofinish judging was developed
1928	9th Congress Amsterdam (NED)	Approval of first anti-doping regulations
1936	13th Congress Berlin (GER)	Incorporation of women's athletics that created a unified, single sport
1982	33rd Congress Athens (GRE)	Amateurism was abolished (the term "Amateur" was removed in the IAAF title in 2001)

The next story of IAAF is the growth and organization and the event they are conducting.

The 3rd IAAF World Championships Tokyo 1991

Breaking from the norm, the 3rd IAAF World Championships left the European continent and traveled to Tokyo, Japan.





Poster of the IAAF World Championships Tokyo 1991



Emblem of the 3rd IAAF World Championships



Mascot of the 3rd IAAF World Championships



The hosting of the Championships in Asia was very significant to the athletics community for many reasons. This event gave international athletics an opportunity to spread to a land where  athletics was not well known creating a new and very passionate fan base. This World Championships was also one of the driving factions that helped to  develop Asian athletics to the level that it is today.

Though the previous two Championships were very successful, the IAAF World Championships was still in its early stages and it needed to be further developed. The IAAF worried that the World Championships might become an event that could be only enjoyed among countries in the European, American, and African continents. It was crucial for the IAAF to attract more Asian interests in the Event.

In deciding the host city of the 3rd IAAF World Championships the IAAF began to do extensive research on the area. The IAAF found that during the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the host country took home 29 Medals. Tokyo also boasted a 48,000 seat stadium had a history of hosting international competitions, including the 1958 Asian Games as well as the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964.

It was after all of these considerations that Tokyo was dubbed the Host City for the 3rd IAAF World Championships Tokyo 1991. The nations event history and it's strong economy proved to be a safe bet.

Tokyo National Stadium

The 3^rd IAAF World Championships saw 1,517 athletics from 167 Member Federations and 580,000 spectators from all over the world participated in the event, while also it was globally broadcasting to over 3.3 billion viewers. This was a one billion viewers increase over the 2^nd World Championships in Rome. The increased number clearly showed the importance of global TV broadcasting of athletics events.

The results of Tokyo World Championships suprised many of the fans.

The undefeatable Carl Lewis again took the gold medal in the 100m, but he did this while also setting a new World Record of 9.86 seconds. This race was incredibly close with Leroy Burrell was only 0.02 second behind Lewis and Dennis Mitchell taking third at just 0.05 behind the champion. The Silver and Bronze medalists were five to six years younger than Carl Lewis with a lot of potential for improvement. The improvements in the athletes' performance was astounding.

Carl Lewis

Mike Powell

Carl Lewis also took the Silver Medal in the long jump, being out jumped by fellow American, Mike Powell who also broke a World Record that day in the Long Jump of 8.95m.

Fans witnessed the birth of new rising stars but also saw the hero who kept his throne. Michael Johnson defeated all the star athletes in Men’s 200 meter while Sergey Bubka won his third gold medal in the Men’s Pole Vault.

The Soviet Union was the country took the most gold medals during the 3^rd IAAF World Championships, but it was the last international event that the Federation participated under that name.

Violinist Sarah Chang Becomes PR Ambassador for the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011

On 26 September 2010 the Daegu LOC had the pleasure to announce its newest PR Ambassador, the world renowned violinist, Ms. Sarah Chang.

The young violinist received this honor from Daegu City Mayor and LOC Co-president Mr. Bum-Il Kim during the 'Daegu City Symphony Orchestra Invitation Concert.'

Chang started playing the violin at age four and officially broke into the global scene at nine years old, with her official debut at the New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve Concert at the Lincoln Center. Furthering her pursuit for excellence the artist has also received many awards, including the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1992.

Now as one of the LOC's five PR Ambassadors, Sarah Chang joins the ranks with Pop Singer, Rain; Yong-Pil Cho; Popera Singer, Hyung-Joo Lim; and Master of Korean Classics, Soo-Kwan Park.

Eurosport, Europe’s Most Viewed Sports Channel, visits Daegu Stadium

If you are reading this blog, I know two things about you. You enjoy sports and you love Daegu!

As a sports enthusiast you know that there are many TV channels dedicated only to sports. Some showing local events, some international, but in each region there is always a favorite. This week Europes favorite sports network, Eurosport, came to visit us at Daegu Stadium.

Eurosport is the most viewed sports channel in Europe. With a satellite and cable network available to 59 countries and broadcasted in 20 different languages, it is certainly a household name.

This sports broadcasting giant came to Daegu to report on the LOC’s preparations as part of the Foreign Ad Project from the Korean Tourism Organization.

The four minute segment will consist of three sections – Introducing Daegu, Daegu Stadium, and an interview with the LOC’s Vice President and Secretary General, Mr. Dong-Hoo Moon.

The morning started off with reporter Pierre DEI MEO and the cameraman Christelle JAIME preparing to cover the stadium. They decided that as a first shot, they would like to shoot a general view of the stadium first. So we made the tough climb to the mountain behind the stadium, but to our dismay we had trouble seeing the entire stadium.

The solution, Climb higher!

So that’s what we did. We climbed and climbed until Pierre and Christelle could get the best possible shot of the stadium.

The hike was not easy, but the shot afterwards was completely worth it! After Pierre and Christelle recorded some more shots outside the stadium we made our way back into the host venue.

Once in the stadium, Christelle wanted to take a complete video shot of the inside of Daegu Stadium. She did this by opening the sunroof of the van and standing up! In order to get the perfect shot we had to circle the track many times. I actually got dizzy!

The tour was great, but I wish they could have seen the stadium when it was at its full glory and not undergoing renovations.

As you can see, there are some major renovations happening. The stadium is getting a brand new Mondo track, a 4 billion KRW sound system, and much much more! Our new sound system will eliminate those pesky echoes and deliver the clearest messages to the athletes and spectators.

Pierre and Christelle toured every corned of the stadium, shooting every possible angle.

I wonder how this will play out on television?

I can't wait until they come back and are able to see the completed renovations during the Championships!

I would like to personally thank Pierre and Christelle for their visit and all of their hard work. I look forward to seeing your report!

▶View the video : Eurosport - Business Class

National Marathon Team Visits Daegu to Inspect the Daegu 2011 Marathon Course

Today was incredibly hot; everybody was looking for shade and a cool drink, everybody except for the Korean National Marathon Team.

Mr. Yong-Cho WHANG, the national Marathon coach, gathered his athletes at Gukchae-bosang Memorial Park early this morning to prepare for next year’s Marathon. The athletes were just as enthusiastic as they could not pass up on this great opportunity to acclimate to Daegu’s summer weather and the new course. These two factors will determine next years Marathon Champion.

Today the athletes began the day with group warm-ups and jesting. The runners then took their marks at the Starting Line and began their 40km race. This was the first time the athletes have ever run this course.

Young-Jo Hwang is explaining the training course to officials.



The athletes warming up in the park





As I said before, the training began at Gukchae-bosang Memorial Park, then heading through Jung-gu Jct., Dusan Jct., Daegu Bank Jct., and Banwoldang Intersection and coming back to the starting point. To ensure the athletes safety, the athletes had their blood pressure checked at every 10km and had their lactic acid build up every 5km. These tests showed that because of the heat, the athletes began to experience fatigue much earlier than usual.



Korea’s Men’s Marathoners!



Korea’s Women’s Marathoners!



Todays training went off without a hitch, there were no injuries and the athletes got their first feel of the Daegu 2011 Marathon Course.

The 2nd IAAF World Championships in Athletics Rome 1987

As you remember our last story was about the first ever IAAF World Championships, held in Helsinki, Finland. Well lets move forward four years to the 2^nd IAAF World Championships.

On 29 August ~ 6 September 1987, the 2^nd IAAF World Championships made its way to the ancient city of Rome. It had been four years since the inaugural even held in Helsinki, Finland. In terms of participation, there weren’t too many differences between the first and second World Championships.  Helsinki brought in 1,572 athletes from 153 Member Federations while Rome brought in 1,451 athletes from 159 Member Federations. But it was the number of spectators that greatly differed from a respectable 322,402 spectators at Helsinki to an impressive 518,000 in Rome.

Poster & Mascot of the IAAF World Championships Rome 1987

In Addition to increased spectator participation, the Event saw a large increase in the number of television viewers. During the 1st IAAF World Championships, the event received approximately 1.3 billion views on television while in 1987 the viewership jumped to over 2 billion people!

There were many differences between the two broadcasts, but the main had to be the difference between black & white broadcasts and color. In 1983, the majority of television owners were only able to see the event in black and white, but it was the Rome Event that broke the mold and first broadcasted the event in natural color.



“Stadio Olimpico” The Largest Stadium in Rome



The Event was held in Rome's the largest stadium, the “Stadio Olimpico.” This venue was constructed in 1910 under the original name of “Stadio dei Cipressi,”and held this name until the late 1930’s, when it was then changed to “Stadio dei Centomila”, and the venue then received its current name “Stadio Olimpico” in 1960, after hosting the 17th Summer Olympic Games.



The 1987 World Championships hosted one of the most anticipated athletics duels in athletics history, as USA’s Carl Lewis and Canada’s Ben Johnson sprinted for the gold in the Men’s 100m. At the time of the event Johnson powered past Lewis taking both the Gold Medal and the World Record, breaking Lewis’ 9.93 with a time of 9.83. But if you look into the athletics history books you will find Carl Lewis’ name as the victor. Why is this?

USA’s Carl Lewis and Canada’s Ben Johnson

One year after the 1987 World Championships, Ben Johnson competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games earning the gold medal and setting a new World Record of 9.79s in the Men’s 100m. It was after this race that a doping test came up hot. The Canadian hero tested positive for anabolic steroids. Johnson then later admitted that he had also used the same drug in Rome at the 1987 IAAF World Championships when he had beat Carl Lewis. After this information was released, Johnson was stripped of his title and the award was given to Carl Lewis.

The Daegu 2011 Organizing Committee is working tirelessly to ensure that the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011 is a “clean” event, and to host the first doping violation free event since 1983.

Click here to visit our preparations for hosting a ‘clean’ World Championships