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For Lee Gi-soo, a 42-year-old former champion of ssireum, the traditional form of Korean wrestling, the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 World Cup were not joyful experiences.
During the opening ceremony for the Olympics, Lee, then a young college ssireum wrestler, had to see taekwondo exhibited as an demonstration event. He wondered why ssireum could not be on the stage.
Fourteen years later Lee`s bitter memory was revived when Korea and Japan co-hosted the cup. In 2002, when Lee was the manager of a professional ssireum team he watched as sumo wrestling was performed at the opening ceremony in Japan. He thought, "Why not ssireum in Korea then?"
Ssireum, along with taekwondo, has been regarded as a national sport with a long tradition. Historians say ssireum probably started in the 4th century when the nation was divided into three kingdoms.
Ssireum had enjoyed so much popularity as to create a professional league in 1983. Major TV networks frequently broadcast pro ssireum competitions during weekends and those programs generally attracted high viewer ratings
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But the sport has lost much of its former glory. Most professional teams have disbanded since the 1997-98 financial crisis, as their sponsor companies went broke or experienced a severe financial squeeze. In 2004, the Korean Ssireum League finally came to an end as Hyundai Heavy Industries disbanded its professional team. Since then, the annual national grand championship has been suspended. Park Sung-han, vice president of Korea Ssireum Association, told The Korea Herald that "ssireum teams relied heavily on financial support from companies. So when the companies faced the financial crisis, most teams had to be disbanded."
It is not only the financial problems that pushed the traditional sport onto the sidelines.
Experts pointed to a feud between the two major organizations governing the sport as another reason, saying the conflict blocked the sport`s development.
The two feuding organizations are the Korea Ssireum Organization, which administers the professional league, and the Korea Ssireum Association, which manages amateur games.
Over recent decades the governing bodies have been at odds over the control of the traditional sport. The long clash became more complicated as an in-house power struggle within the KSA flared up early this year.
In January, the KSA elected a new president, but his predecessor and his followers refused to accept the election outcome, claiming that the selection process was not fair. The outgoing president has filed a lawsuit against the new KSA leadership, and the outcome of the case is still pending.
The internal conflict in the KSA complicates efforts to restart the suspended national grand championship, although the association has taken over the right to host the games from the KSO.
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According to experts, another reason behind the decline of ssireum`s popularity is the lack of a superstar in the sport.
When it comes to golf, most people have heard of Tiger Woods, and nearly all Koreans know the footballer Park Ji-sung. However, not many people are aware of current ssireum competitors
"If we had possessed an athlete like Park Ji-sung in ssireum, people would have had more affection for it," said Park Woo-man, who leads an amateur ssireum club in Seoul.
To make matters worse, some famous athletes have left the ssireum world as its popularity has faded and, consequently, the media has turned its back on the sport.
Some athletes like Kang Ho-dong went into the entertainment business and Choi Hong-man joined K-1.
Experts said the lack of stars has dashed the hopes of young players. According to the KSA, the number of ssireum wrestlers between the ages of 13-18 has fallen by nearly 40 percent, from 1,489 a decade ago to 827 today.
Also, ssireum has failed to attract more fans because the sport has changed. "The beauty of ssireum was that smaller wrestlers could beat much bigger opponents by using techniques," Lee said. However, he and other ssireum officials have said the sport lost its unique flavor when power started to overwhelm technique.
Ssireum is often compared with Japanese sumo, as both have long histories. But traditional Korean wrestling has lost its fans while sumo is still loved as Japan`s national sport.
Tim Hopper, a journalist and producer of TBS radio in Korea, said "while sumo retains as much as possible of its tradition and original components, ssireum seems to have modernized beyond recognition."
He said in the Weekly Chosun that "while sumo wrestlers wear strange clothes and wear their pony tale, ssireum wrestlers wear garishly-colored shorts made of modern fabrics and "their hairstyles are the same as those of ordinary people on the street."
Hopper insists that "sumo is no better a sport than ssireum. There is no reason why it should be more globally famous, but the fact is that it draws interest thanks to its retention of unique culture."
Park Woo-man, however, offers a slightly different view. "I think we should forget about its traditions and should get rid of old stereotypes," he said. "For instance, why do ssireum matches have to take place only on sand? If it occurs on a mattress, more people will take part in it."
Recently, the KSA set up a special committee to revive ssireum. Its first meeting took place on May 25. "We are currently discussing introducing new rules like weight limits, and also we are working together to reshape ssireum stadiums," said committee chair Park Sung-han.
But such reform plans are expected to remain on the backburner until the KSA settles its internal conflicts over the leadership election.
(kyuwook.oh@gmail.com)

By Oh Kyu-wook