Kim Yu-na instrumental in Pyeongchang bid success

Posted on : 2011-07-08 15:10 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Through her international recognition and efforts, Kim Yu-na became the ‘face of Pyeongchang’

By Kim Yang-hee

  

During her speech in support of Pyeongchang’s bid for the 2018 Olympics, Kim Yu-na’s eyes were moist. Kim had also shed tears at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and at the World Figure Skating Championships in 2011. Although initially not one to outwardly express this type of emotion, her recent tears have been evidence of the increasing burden resting on her 22-year-old shoulders.

After hearing news firsthand of Pyeongchang’s success in bidding for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Kim Yu-na of Korea University said, “The tears just come. It is a national matter, and it weighed heavily on me thinking what might happen if everything was messed up all because of me.” It was a frank confession of the psychological pressure Kim had been under.

Ever since the conclusion of the Moscow World Figure Skating Championships in April, Kim has been on the move as the “face of Pyeongchang.” In May, she participated as a presenter in an International Olympic Committee technical briefing on candidate cities in Lausanne, Switzerland. On June 27 and 28, she traveled to the Togolese capital of Lome for an Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) conference in an effort to win over the IOC members present there.

Even with all this arduous campaigning, the bright smile never left Kim’s face. Her appearance was enough to transform the stiff occasion into something bright and warm.

“At first, Katarina Witt drew a lot of attention, but Katarina’s star has been eclipsed since Kim Yu-na emerged,” said Gangwon Province Governor Choi Moon-soon during an interview. “IOC members are very refined people, but on many occasions I have seen members of royal families and elderly people lining up to have their picture taken with Kim Yu-na, without feeling any embarrassment whatsoever.”

Kim wrote a special contribution that was printed in the Daily News, a South African daily, and also held a one-point lesson for around twenty aspiring South Africa figure skaters at a Durban ice rink.

Her true value was definitely in evidence at a presentation prior to the final voting. There, she showed off the English skills she picked up since 2007 while staying in Toronto and Los Angeles, among other places. When Kim did not have other engagements, she stayed in her Durban lodgings working on her final presentation rehearsal, and her practice paid off with a flawless delivery.

In an article Thursday, Japan’s Kyodo News said, “Kim Yu-na contributed to the Pyeongchang bid in fluent English, making a favorable impression in her presentation with a radiant face.”

In a Thursday message on Twitter, Kim Tae-ho, who produces the MBC show “Infinite Challenge,” wrote, “YES Pyeongchang! Yu-na is truly a national treasure.” Kim has gone from “figure skating pixie” to “figure skating queen,” and now “national treasure.” None of this, however, came for free. The image was cultivated through her hard work.

A hidden contributor behind the scenes helped in developing the elegant and moving presentation. Terrence Burns of Atlanta’s Helios Partners, a consultant specializing in Olympic bids, is the one who came up with the Pyeongchang slogan of “New Horizons.” He also wrote all the necessary phrases for the presentation. The other people delivering presentations, including President Lee Myung-bak, are known to have received English-language scripts and training from Burns.

  

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

 

 

Most viewed articles