ice sports

Ok, from the point of view of The Republic of Korea what recently ended in Torino (or is it Turin) was some kind of shorttrack skating games, and from the success of Korean athletes, they are entitled to that (see Hankyoreh editorial in Korean and in English, and Chosun editorial in Korean and in English). (I see that the Hankyoreh translator has toned down the title from "The Young Koreans' Accomplishments that Shook Turin" to "Young Koreans' Accomplishments in Turin", but maybe it was just a question of space... And Chosun's Korean title "Hoping that shorttrack accomplishments become a boost for winter sports" became just "We Can Do Even Better" in English.) But none of that compares to the accomplishments of the Finnish curling team in the Turin ice. Sure they brought home only the silver medal, but when the team and especially it's captain succeed in the short time of two weeks in providing the nation with a new hero, idol, an image of a modern man that men can relate to and women hope their partner would be like. An online reader of a newspaper: "Markku Uusipaavalniemi is the most erotic sight in the world when he glides sturdy, silent, and serious on the slippery and shiny ice with the stone in his hand." Another, apparently also of female gender, adds: "You don't need to understand the game. Who's got time to do that. We just stare Uuusipaavalniemi." New t-shirts are also available: Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: Korea-Finland