Jeju audit faults para games safety; province vows more ambulances
In short
A Jeju provincial council audit on 6 October criticised safety management at the 46th National Para Games, held in Jeju last month, saying one ambulance was shared by two venues and an injured weightlifter waited 15 minutes. Lawmaker Park Ji-eun also cited a wheelchair tipping over at an entrance step, narrow lifts and a cardiac arrest patient receiving CPR from operations staff rather than medical personnel. Jeju administrative vice governor Park Chun-su said pre-checks had been insufficient at some of the many venues and promised more ambulances for the upcoming National Sports Festival.
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Safety management at the 46th National Para Games, held in Jeju last month, came under criticism at a Jeju Provincial Council audit on 6 October. Park Ji-eun, a Democratic Party lawmaker on the council's Culture, Tourism and Sports Committee, said a weightlifting venue and a lawn bowls venue shared a single ambulance, leaving an injured weightlifting athlete to wait 15 minutes. She also said a wheelchair tipped over at an entrance step at the billiards venue. [ 1 , 2 ]
Park listed further problems by venue: a cardiac arrest at the table tennis venue was treated with CPR by operations staff rather than medical personnel; some locations had problematic ramps; some lifts were too narrow for wheelchairs; and there were problems with the distance over which sign language interpretation reached. “The on-site problems are not just one or two, so this looks like a planning problem,” she said, adding that preparation should have been more thorough given that athletes with disabilities can more easily suffer more serious injuries. [ 2 ]
Park asked that, ahead of the upcoming National Sports Festival, the province strengthen on-site preliminary consultation involving event officials and organisations, re-establish safety standards and thoroughly re-check its safety management and emergency medical plans. [ 2 ]
Jeju administrative vice governor Park Chun-su responded that pre-inspections had been carried out but that the large number of venues meant some parts were not covered sufficiently. He said the province would secure more ambulances for the National Sports Festival and be able to respond immediately in emergencies. [ 2 ]
The documents give no overall count of injuries at the games and do not say what happened to the cardiac arrest patient. The Newsis headline also concerns the para games safety issue, but the article text available from that outlet deals with an unrelated National Assembly audit of the Supreme Court, so its account contributes only at headline level. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The audit concerns emergency and accessibility arrangements for athletes with disabilities at a national event, where, as the lawmaker argued, failures can lead to more serious injuries. The province's commitment to secure additional ambulances and re-check emergency plans applies to the National Sports Festival it is preparing to host, so the criticism may shape those preparations.
Key facts
- The 46th National Para Games were held in Jeju last month, and safety management there was described in the audit as inadequate [ 1 , 2 ]
- Park Ji-eun, a Democratic Party lawmaker in the Jeju Provincial Council, raised the issue at the Culture, Tourism and Sports Committee administrative audit on 6 October [ 2 ]
- Park said a weightlifting venue and a lawn bowls venue shared one ambulance, and an injured weightlifting athlete had to wait 15 minutes [ 2 ]
- Park said a cardiac arrest occurred at the table tennis venue and CPR was performed by operations staff rather than medical personnel [ 2 ]
- A wheelchair tipped over at an entrance step at the billiards venue, and Park cited problematic ramps, lifts too narrow for wheelchairs and problems with the distance over which sign language interpretation reached [ 1 , 2 ]
- Administrative vice governor Park Chun-su said pre-inspections had not been thorough enough given the number of venues and that more ambulances would be secured for the National Sports Festival [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Safety management at the National Para Games held in Jeju was criticised as insufficient, including delayed transport of an injured athlete and a wheelchair tipping over at a step [ 1 , 2 ]
- The criticism was made at a Jeju Provincial Council audit on 6 October [ 2 ]
- An injured weightlifting athlete waited 15 minutes, and a cardiac arrest patient at the table tennis venue received CPR from operations staff rather than medical personnel [ 2 ]
- Jeju administrative vice governor Park Chun-su said more ambulances would be secured for the National Sports Festival [ 2 ]
Still unclear
- The outcome for the cardiac arrest patient at the table tennis venue The documents do not say what happened to the patient after CPR was performed
- The total number of injuries or incidents at the games The documents list individual cases but give no overall figures
- What the games organisers say in response to the criticism Only the Jeju provincial administrative vice governor is quoted responding
- The details behind the Newsis report Newsis's headline concerns the Para Games safety issue, but the article text that could be read deals with an unrelated National Assembly audit of the Supreme Court, so only its headline can be used