"Idol Star Athletics Championships" Receives Criticism Yet Again

Every year, the “Idol Star Athletics Championships” airs and receives criticism. This year is no different.

The criticism stems from idol stars getting injured while competing. These injuries can affect their activities as well as comeback plans. Furthermore, participating in itself can lead to exhaustion considering their jam-packed schedules.

Each year various idols get injured. This year, BTS’s Jin and VIXX’s Leo got injured while playing futsal. As a result, Leo might not be able to perform on “The Show” on August 30.

Upset fans have been demanding the end of the idol sports program. A hashtag requesting the abolition of “Idol Star Athletics Championships” trended during and after the filming yesterday.

Despite the risks and criticism, the program has become a holiday staple and can create opportunities for idol stars to shine. Many stars deliberately train ahead of the championships in order to showcase their athletic skills.

A source spoke with Sports Chosun and stated, “Each year when the broadcasting station casts [idols] there are some awkward situations. It’s not easy to participate when you have an upcoming comeback and you have to invest a lot of time into the program. It’s because of worries about the possibility of sustaining an injury.” The source further commented that staying on the broadcasting station’s good side is a concern due to potential opportunities or blocks from appearing on different shows from the broadcasting station.

A different source said, “Nowadays there are lot of programs with a variety of genres besides sports. There are cases when [idols] go to the gym or practice after normal activities for months ahead [of the filming]. That’s how much pressure they feel.”

Source (1)