Weon-Woo Lee talks about the CrossFit® Games Asian semifinal that his competition is hosting this year.
Hustle Up: The Far East Throwdown will host the semifinals of the CrossFit® Games. How does it feel? Weon-Woo Lee: It's fantastic, of course. The aim is to bring the excitement and tension of such an event to Asia. It's an opportunity to offer a better experience to the CrossFit® community in South Korea. Thanks to CrossFit® for giving us the chance to support the community. Now it's time to return the favor.
What does it mean for your event? Hosting the CrossFit® Games semifinal has made me think a little more broadly. It's not just about finding the best athletes and sending them to the CrossFit® Games. It's a whole community that's mobilizing for the semi-finals, whether you're an organizer, volunteer, sponsor or spectator. We'll do our best to make the competition a success and provide the great experience for volunteers and spectators alike. What is the impact of CrossFit® in Korea? It’s leading the fitness culture for the 20-30th generation. When we talk about CrossFit®, we're not just talking about a workout, but a way of promoting health and longevity.
Before CrossFit®, fitness in Korea was very different from what it is today. CrossFit® opened up opportunities for over 600 gym owners, enabling them to turn their passion into a thriving business.
Are Koreans receptive to the benefits of CrossFit®? People who practice CrossFit® know the benefits. They talk about it around them, and that's why the community is growing so fast. I'm convinced it still has a lot of potential.
What do you think of the evolution of CrossFit® in South Korea? In the past, our goal was to increase brand awareness, so we tried to spread CrossFit® so regular people knew what it was. CrossFit® grew solidly. However, there are still many wrong ideas about CrossFit®. That’s why, it’s time to educate people correctly and eliminate all common misunderstandings.
What does that mean? Today, Koreans know CrossFit® as a sport and a competition with the CrossFit® Games. This is a good thing, but many people think that CrossFit® is too intense and not suitable for young and old people. We need to show that the sport is suitable for people of all levels and ages.That's one of the reasons why we created our community event, "Teen to Legend", an age-group competition.
How do you see the future of CrossFit® in South Korea? Expanding the target group to include young people and older adults will help affiliate development. Korea still has great growth potential and CrossFit® will be a leader in the Asian fitness market.
Far East Throwdown : May 17 to 19 Bexco - Centum City, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea