The weather is getting colder and colder, as if it’s saying winter is near. In other words, it could also be said that Winter Sports are near. Lucky for us, we live in a country that has four distinct seasons. Korea’s winter is perfect for enjoying winter sports, the temperature goes down to below -10 degrees Celsius. Popular winter sports include skiing, snowboarding, and snow sledding. So how did sports develop? The following explanations will tell you.
Skiing, the most popular sport among those three winter sports, originated from the Norwegians. At the very early stages, skiing was used as a means of transportation to cross those snow-covered mountains. Not until the 19th century was it placed as a kind of sport. It was in the 20th century when it became widely popular. Also, skiing became popularized in Korea in the late 20th century, making the ski resorts boom with people.
Snowboarding was invented during the era when skiing was thriving. It was in 1959 when an American hunter who had been unsatisfied with skiing, used a plank for snowboarding. And it was popular among people in the early 80s, selected as a winter sport in the 1998 Winter Olympics.
Snow sledding is one of the most traditional sports in Korea. It was first used by our ancestors. Records about snow sledding exist from books written in the Joseon dynasty. It was used as transportation during the winters. But the early models were different from what we think, it was chained with horses, similar to a carriage. It was after Japan’s colonization when snow sleds were used in sports due to the emergence of transportation like trains and cars.
It is interesting that 3 out of 2 of the famous and most popular sports came from the concept of transportation. Anyways, winter is coming for those people who have been waiting for it for a long time. This winter I hope covid 19 will not interrupt us enjoying those winter sports.
By: Minsoo Kim