Steph Curry just got to experience what it feels like to be on a Korean variety show:
Steph Curry is a man of many talents—he’s arguably the best shooter in NBA history, he’s a two-time World Champion and he’s a damn good golfer.
Brother Seth isn’t too shabby of a player himself, but even the mighty Curry brothers are no match for giant inflatables. Particularly not when the basket the Currys are shooting on is literally spinning, while the other side gets a hoop that’s more than twice regulation size.
The Currys faced these monumental odds on a Korean variety show, where they played against a team of Korean comedians. [Sports Illustrated via a reader tip]
You can read more at the link and see the videos from the show below:
It looks like former US Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert is a really big fan of the Doosan Bears:
Mark Lippert (C), former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, waves to fans while attending a Korea Baseball Organization game between the Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on March 31, 2017. (Yonhap)
Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert returned to Seoul on Friday to attend a baseball game.
Lippert, whose term ended in January after a little over two years, attended the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season opener between the home team Doosan Bears and the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium.
A Bears official said Lippert had contacted the club about 10 days ago saying he wanted to be here for the first game of the new season.
During his time here, Lippert, an avid baseball fan, had been an honorary ambassador for the KBO. The Bears are his favorite team, and he often traveled across the nation to watch them in postseason play. [Yonhap]
Just another example of how the Olympics has become a professional sports league which even has its own free agency period:
Canadian-born ice hockey player Brock Radunske, second from right, speaks with his teammates in the national team in this file photo taken March 27, 2013 at the ice rink of the National Training Center in Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-cheol
Since the Canadian-born ice hockey player Brock Radunske joined Anyang Halla to become the first naturalized Korean athlete, five more foreign-born players have migrated to Korea. Matt Dalton, Eric Reagan, Brian Young and Michael Swift are all from Canada and Mike Testwuide is American-born.
The six foreign-born athletes are now playing for Korea’s national team, making the once homogeneous team diverse. Foreign-born athletes account for nearly 25 percent of the 25-member men’s hockey team.
Jim Paek, the national hockey team manager, said diversity has made the men’s ice hockey team stronger. [Korea Times]
It is pretty clear that the Olympics have turned into a professional sports league considering how it has its own free agency period now for countries to recruit athletes from other countries:
South Korea’s figure skating pair Min Yu-ra (R) and Alexander Gamelin wait for their score in the ice dance free dance program after performing at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Feb. 17, 2017. (Yonhap)
After a solid performance at an International Skating Union (ISU) competition here, South Korea’s figure skating pair Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin said Friday they really want to compete in front of home crowds at the Winter Olympics next year.
Min and Gamelin, who have been skating together since 2015, finished eighth among 16 ice dance teams at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul. The ISU competition, open to non-Europeans, is one of the test events for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
“We received a lot of energy from home crowds even when our names were announced,” Min said. “Since the PyeongChang Olympics is going to be here, we expect lots of support from fans. We’re so excited.”
Min and Gamelin were also eighth last year, but this time they had a better score, improving 6.27 points from 2016 to finish with 144.69 points Friday.
“Last year, we didn’t have enough preparations because we had little time skating together,” Min said. “But this year, we prepared well. We wanted to get a better result than last year, but other teams skated better this time. We’re satisfied with the result today.”
Gamelin is an American citizen, but is seeking naturalization to compete at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next year with Min.
At ISU competitions, as long as one member of a tandem is South Korean, that duo can compete under the South Korean flag. At the Olympics, however, both members of a team must be South Korean citizens to represent the country. [Yonhap]
Considering Kim Yu-na’s much higher profile of being a well known Olympic champion I think it was much easier for her to say no to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism compared to lower profile athletes like Son Yeon-jae who netizens are now angered with:
Rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae acknowledges spectators on the podium after winning the gold medal in the hoop event at the 7th Asian Gymnastics Championships at a university gym in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, central South Korea, on June 12, 2015. (Yonhap)
Suspicion is rising that the government disadvantaged Olympic champion figure skater Kim Yu-na because she would not cooperate with the scandal-ridden manipulative ties of President Park Geun-hye.
KBS TV reported Saturday that Kim had been on Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism blacklist for turning down a ministry invitation to attend a public trial of “Neulpum calisthenics” in 2014.
The exercise routine was developed by Cha Eun-taek, a commercial director and close acquaintance of the president’s confidant Choi Soon-sil. (……)
Meanwhile, Son Yeon-jae’s agency Galaxia SM website has crashed under high traffic volumes on Sunday evening, as the suspicion spilled over to Son, whom netizens suspect to have benefited from the minsitry for complying with the invitation. [Korea Times]
I wonder if these two American figure skaters would be given dual citizenship or will they have to renounce their US citizenship?:
South Korea will likely grant citizenship to four foreign athletes in preparation of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee met Wednesday to discuss the issue at the Korean National Training Center in northeastern Seoul.
The four include two American figure skaters, Alexander Gamelin and Themistocles Leftheris, and two Russian biathletes.
The two American figure skaters paired with South Korean partners and have been competing in ISU championships as South Korean teams since June of last year. [KBS World Radio]
This has to be considered a disappointing Olympics for Korean soccer fans I would think considering they were knocked out by non-traditional soccer power like Honduras:
Forward Son Heung-min of South Korea looks astray after Honduras scored the match-winning goal in the second-half. Honduras won the game 1-0, knocking South Koreans out of the men’s football quarterfinals in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Saturday. / Yonhap
South Korea were knocked out of the Olympic men’s football quarterfinals Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Honduras.
Alberth Elis scored the game’s lone goal near the hour mark at Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, some 340 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro.
South Korea won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. It remains the country’s only Olympic football medal. [Korea Times]
South Korean judoka Jeong Bo-kyeong bites her silver medal as she stands on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women’s under-48kg at the 31st Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5, 2016. Jeong won silver for South Korea’s first medal at the Rio Games. She lost to Paula Pareto of Argentina in the final. (Yonhap)
