Spectator figures to affect success of Daegu World Athletics Championships

SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Yonhap) -- All is ready.
World's big names in athletics, including sprint hero Usain Bolt and Russian pole-vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva, will unfold spectacular competition in the 2011 World Athletics Championships to be held in the South Korean city of Daegu for nine days from Saturday.
About 2,000 athletes from 202 countries will compete in the championships, one of the four biggest international sports events along with the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and football's World Cup.
Since it was awarded the right to host the championships in Mombasa, Kenya in 2007, Daegu has made every effort in order to make the event a success.
In addition to building and renovating sport facilities, the city also has worked hard to prepare cultural and other non-sports programs for some 30,000 foreign tourists expected to visit the city during the championships.
For Daegu and South Korea as a whole, the significance of the championships is by no means small. It will not only help make the unpopular sport popular in South Korea but also raise its level in the country.
The event is also expected to help stimulate the local economy. Analysts estimate that the event will have the effect of generating about 5 trillion won (US$4.6 billion) worth of economic activities and creating 60,000 jobs.
What makes us concerned is spectator crowds. Unlike in Western countries, athletics is not a popular sport in South Korea. There may be few Korean athletes who would win medals.
So, it's no exaggeration to say that the success of the Daegu event hinges on how many spectators would show up to fill the stand.
According to the organizing committee, about 96 percent of the tickets have been sold, a figure enough to fill the seats every day. But committee officials are concerned that many of the tickets may not be used.
With many empty seats, the Daegu championships can never be a success.