[News Today] FUSION OF MEDIA ART AND SPORTS

[LEAD]
When we think of 'Sports Day', we usually think of tug-of-war or other sports activities in the field. But what would Sports Day look like in the future? In Gwangju Metropolitan City, a unique sports day has taken place, involving media art. Here's more.

[REPORT]
People of all ages are gathered at the basement of the Asia Culture Center.

They do stretching exercises to warm up. An emcee then announces the start of a sports day.

The first event is a game of 'gaining territory'.

Participants wearing special helmets run around the stadium and the areas they gained are marked.

The motion capture camera installed on the ceiling records their movements to indicate the areas and each participant's score is automatically calculated.

The second event is digital curling.

A target appears on the floor and the participants roll special balls, each equipped with a sensor inside.

The location of a ball is measured precisely to be shown on the screen and participants shout in delight.

Next, participants try to find where the sound is coming from.

Blindfolded participants move endlessly to find the place where the sound is coming from. When they arrive at the spot, they obtain a gemstone.

Lee Do-yun / Participant
It was amazing playing the games of the future. More than anything, I got to skip after school academies.

The Asia Culture Center plans to hold this futuristic sports event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its opening next year.

New events that combine media art technologies, sporting events, and children's games were developed for the occasion.

Japan's Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media which has been holding such sports competitions since 2015 collaborated with the Korean cultural center.

Kim Gwang-rae / Asia Culture Center
It's Korean culture that has been enjoyed by all people. We can enjoy field day events that are fading away with new digital technology.

The Asia Culture Center plans to test out its operation before holding a large-scale future field day for all citizens next spring.