2018 Korea Ssireum Festival held in city of Andong
- 5 years ago
Ssireum or Korean traditional wrestling is a fun hobby for regular folk while professionals test their strength and technique in high-pressure tournaments.
From last Tuesday to this Monday, the 2018 Korea Ssireum Festival is being held in city of Andong in southeastern South Korea, with competitors showing off their talents.
Choi Si-young reports. In Korean, the winner of a Ssireum festival is called Cheonhajangsa, or "the strongest person under the heavens."
It's the highest honor in the sport.
The Korea Ssireum Festival was held from 1983 until 2004... before it was briefly discontinued and revived by the Korea Ssireum Association in 2008.
The festival this year brought together about a thousand wrestlers and staff.
The event is divided into separate tournaments for men, women, college
students and foreign invitees.
From overseas, there was a total of 42 wrestlers from China, Mongolia, Russia, Spain and New Zealand.
The title of Cheonhajangsa is awarded separately for men and women.
Players not vying for the title compete against peers of the same sex according to their weight class, of which there are three -- flyweight, lightweight and middle weight.
The title of Cheonhajangsa is awarded only once a year -- and for men, we should know who the winner is by Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the sport of Ssireum has a good chance of being listed as one of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Assets. A month ago, the UNESCO's evaluation body recommended that it be put on the list. The final decision will be made during an intergovernmental session held in Mauritius from November 26th to December 1st.
Choi Si-young, Arirang News.
From last Tuesday to this Monday, the 2018 Korea Ssireum Festival is being held in city of Andong in southeastern South Korea, with competitors showing off their talents.
Choi Si-young reports. In Korean, the winner of a Ssireum festival is called Cheonhajangsa, or "the strongest person under the heavens."
It's the highest honor in the sport.
The Korea Ssireum Festival was held from 1983 until 2004... before it was briefly discontinued and revived by the Korea Ssireum Association in 2008.
The festival this year brought together about a thousand wrestlers and staff.
The event is divided into separate tournaments for men, women, college
students and foreign invitees.
From overseas, there was a total of 42 wrestlers from China, Mongolia, Russia, Spain and New Zealand.
The title of Cheonhajangsa is awarded separately for men and women.
Players not vying for the title compete against peers of the same sex according to their weight class, of which there are three -- flyweight, lightweight and middle weight.
The title of Cheonhajangsa is awarded only once a year -- and for men, we should know who the winner is by Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the sport of Ssireum has a good chance of being listed as one of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Assets. A month ago, the UNESCO's evaluation body recommended that it be put on the list. The final decision will be made during an intergovernmental session held in Mauritius from November 26th to December 1st.
Choi Si-young, Arirang News.