By I didn’t realize that the Japanese did this poorly at the recent Winter Olympics:
Japan and Russia are still trying to come to terms with their poor showing in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Thursday pointed out that Korea operates a pension system for Olympic medalists and pledged to give serious thought to what Tokyo can do in that line. He was responding to rebukes from lawmakers about lack of government support for athletes.
Tatsuo Kawabata, the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, was quoted by the Asahi Shimbun the same day as promising to “lay a framework of sports strategies and consider giving tax benefits to companies that support athletes.”
Earlier, ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Mitsuru Sakurai told senior government officials, “Japan is the only one advanced country that failed to win a gold medal. Korean and Japanese athletes are of nearly the same build, but the number of medals they won was quite different.” He added Japan should learn from Korea’s national sport strategy. Japan won a mere three silver and two bronze medals in the winter Olympics in Vancouver. [Chosun Ilbo]
That showing is pretty bad for the Japanese considering their population size and wealth that could support training for Olympic athletes.
5:04 pm on March 9th, 2010 1
I hate to use the cliché, but it fits in this case…winning isn’t everything. Japan had 94 competitive athletes compared to Korea’s 46. I also noticed that there were patriotic Japanese fans visible in the audiences of virtually every event, whereas I only saw the Taeguki in sports Korea was sure to medal in.
The Chosun Ilbo can gloat all it wants…Japan should have nothing to be ashamed of.
5:26 pm on March 9th, 2010 2
Japan lost to Korea in Olympics Baseball of all things, and now this. A wake-up call for Japan.
Korea may have awakened the sleeping ___ ? ___ .
8:21 pm on March 9th, 2010 3
Perhaps Japan wanted to be dominated.
9:42 pm on March 9th, 2010 4
Re the title: Japan Dominated By Korea During Winter Olympics
Japan was also dominated by the US, Germany, Canada, Norway, Austria, Russia, Sweden, China, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, and Italy. And arguably Australia, Slovakia, and Belarus, depending on how you count.
What’s with the benchmarking with Korea?
9:44 pm on March 9th, 2010 5
I thought this was the CSI gloating until I saw the quotes by the Japanese government officials.
But a good example of class by Japan is this: When Japan was finally out of the World Cup in 2002, a lot of Japanese fans started rooting for South Korea as a proxy.
10:38 pm on March 9th, 2010 6
Why are hockey matches between the US and Canada so huge? Why are hockey matches between the Fins and Swedes so huge?
It’s because of long-standing regional rivalries.
Anytime there is a Korea/Japan match in baseball, soccer, volleyball, etc. – the match takes on a special meaning.
Koreans tend to be more vocal about it – but they both feel the same way about the rivalry.
2:16 am on March 10th, 2010 7
“He added Japan should learn from Korea’s national sport strategy.”
Which is?
4:36 am on March 10th, 2010 8
I think Japanese are not worried over sports, they’re really worried over Korea’s increasing profile, while their country is sinking due to their shrinking number of youth losing ambitions not just in sports but economically as well. If things don’t change soon, their worst nightmare may come true in few years.
For instance, one small example. JD Powers, yesterday, names Hyundai, once an American/Japanese butt of jokes, as having the best customer service satisfaction rating for 2010, over all the Japanese brands including Honda and Toyota (while Toyota has a real bad scandal going on at this moment). Another mile stone achievement, and another symbol of what the pattern is, and where we are headed.
I just hope Korea throws away everything that was learned from the Japanese economic model, to avoid becoming just like Japan in few years.
5:58 am on March 10th, 2010 9
Symptom of Japan Inc going wrong.
Run away Toyota Prius on the highway – Toyota in the news again with video
http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-runaway-prius,0,2037941.story
6:03 am on March 10th, 2010 10
All late model Hyundais have brake over-rides, Toyota’s are too cheap to put one in. Another sign of cost cutting measures that are hitting Japan’s manufacturing industries.
6:11 am on March 10th, 2010 11
Interesting…I was unaware of that. Then again, I was at Fort Benning, GA in 2002 and largely aloof of the World Cup goings-on.
Speaking of being aloof, do you think that maybe the Japanese people are aloof of how much Koreans in general resent them? I couldn’t imagine South Koreans rooting for Japan in anything.
6:45 am on March 10th, 2010 12
As you well know Kushibo there is a huge rivalry between Korea and Japan and on this front the Japanese were “dominated” by the Koreans and yes overall they didn’t compare very well with other countries as well.
3:29 pm on March 10th, 2010 13
[...] Japan Dominated By Korea During Winter Olympics | ROK Drop [...]
4:32 pm on March 10th, 2010 14
Korean netizens may express resentment towards the Japanese, but the average Korean doesn’t really care.
And actually I have quite a few Japanese friends. These war of words may appear online but the reality is, not once have I seen or heard of a physical alteration occurring.
You just sound like some white man trying to cause controversy.
I am Korean and I root for Lyoto Machida, the UFC fighter. So do all my Korean friends.
5:00 pm on March 10th, 2010 15
This post at the Marmot’s Hole is must reading to keep “netizen anger” in perspective.
6:07 pm on March 10th, 2010 16
More vocal then whom?
In short track speed skating, the rivalry is between Korea and the U.S. In hockey the Canadians’ and Russians’.
6:15 pm on March 10th, 2010 17
If you want to be 100% accurate the brake and accelerator pedals in Toyota’s and quite a few other brands are manufactured in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is about 20 minutes outside Toronto.
I will call my friend in Toronto and post the companies name as soon as I get a hold of him. He’s their attorney.
8:25 pm on March 10th, 2010 18
[...] here: Japan Dominated By Korea During Winter Olympics | ROK Drop Share and [...]
10:55 pm on March 10th, 2010 19
Hey, at least it’s better than their 06 performance (one gold) or 02 (one silver and bronze each). Personally, I was surprised that all of the Japanese snowboarders on the half-pipe flubbed.
12:10 am on March 11th, 2010 20
I thought it was rather obvious: Japan.
It’s only a rivalry if both sides think of it as a rivalry. As far as the US is concerned, when it comes to sports, Korea is a mosquito on an elephant’s ass. There ain’t no rivalry.
1:11 am on March 13th, 2010 21
To Revelation:
It is absolutely not true that the average Korean doesn’t hold resentment or hatred against Japan. Maybe korean-americans who don’t know Korea’s history wouldn’t care, but virtually all Korean citizens and korean-americans educated in korean history will resent Japan. The fact is, Japan committed countless atrocities such as cultural genocide against Korea and has not offered a sincere apology. If you were a Jew and Germany hadn’t apologized for the holocaust and tried to deny it, wouldn’t you still be upset at them?
Of course, it would be a different story if Japan sincerely apologized and gave back the cultural artifacts that it stole and attempted to atone for its crimes. If Japan would apologize and do everything they could to make things right, then of course koreans would eventually move on because then there would be no point in holding grudges, but Japanese leaders continue to visit the shrines of war criminals and offer insincere apologies (apologizing for war crimes in front of an international audience, such as the UN, but contradicting their statements back at home to appease to the Japanese). It’s a shame because Korea+Japan would make a great team.
1:19 am on March 13th, 2010 22
I agree. Japan used to laugh at Korea but now their national pride is at stake because they view Korea as inferior. Samsung > Sony