○ The “OCA-Incheon Vision 2014 Program”, legacy of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and an extremely popular and successful program among countries with modest sporting capabilities across Asia, is ready to welcome its second guests of the year.
○ Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced its plans to invite the Uzbekistan Kurash team. The seven-man delegation will train in Incheon for two weeks from June 5 to June 19. Songdo High School, Inha University, Kyonggi University, KORAIL, and the Judo Team at Incheon Sports Council will join the Uzbekistan team as the Korean training partner for the program.
○ Throughout the training program, the Uzbekistan team will train under the advanced training systems available in Incheon, which will be customized for each individual. Also, the delegation will take part in other programs including cultural activities and programs that will help them improve performance.
○ Coach Kim Seok-il said, “I am convinced that this training will be a great opportunity for not only the Uzbekistan national team, but also for our players.”
○ Kurash is the national sport of Uzbekistan and an official event in the Asian Games. It is similar to Judo however it is more dynamic and athletes cannot use their hands on their opponent’s lower body. Kurash has done more than simply facilitating interactions in sports. It has played a crucial role in advancing friendly relations between Korea and Uzbekistan.
○ Incheon successfully hosted Kurash events during the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games for the first time at an international competition in Korea. The International Kurash Association declared that the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games was a great competition for the sport of Kurash.
○ Also, the national selection contest and National Competition was held in Incheon in 2016. The upcoming Kurash National Competition will be held on June 17 at the Incheon National University’s Gymnasium.
○ Meanwhile, Incheon has continued a steady stream of training programs for sporting minority nations as part of the Program even after the 2014 Incheon Asian Games to carry on the noble values that the Vision 2014 Program aspires to. The Program truly has become an exemplary case of public sports diplomacy in Asia.
