December 9 Thammasat University
Sports Complex This is the largest of the
three main sports complexes and plays host to the sponsors exhibitions,
as well as more than a dozen competition venues.
This was the first
day that I was able to use my VIP pass (courtesy of the Pusan2002 organizing
committe) and took advantage by sampling many of the sports being played.
The big story of the
day was the TaeKwanDo judging, or lack thereof. There were three major
protests during which competitors and coaches would sit in the middle of
the mat and prevent matches from continuing. Some blamed the breakdown
of the electronic scoring system, others the poiitical bias in the sport.
Click
here to see our full photo shoot once the action resumed.
Click the icons below
to hear what Beano, a Jordanian athlete had to say about it
Chen Zhong staged the longest protest which lasted an
hour
Always ready to make
the best of a bad situation, Thai organizers responded by
filling the lull of
activity with traditional dancing and singing.
Stopped by the Team
Table Tennis in time to see the Koreans win their semi-final match.
The fans were quite vocally supportive and after the TV interviews and
recieving the congralations of some important looking guys, the athletes
were glad to oblige the numerous requests for autographs.
When
they weren't protesting the TaeKwonDo competitors put on a
fine display of kicking,
jumping, screaming, and cheering.
