K-Pop Idol Athletic Competition Under Scrutiny Due To Mounting Injuries

MBC's annual TV special Idol Star Athletics Championships is coming under fire in the face of numerous injuries suffered by idols participating in the event, reports The Korea Herald.

Worried K-Pop fans are voicing out their concerns that the program is becoming too competitive for its own good, especially as producers look to add Korean traditional wrestling to its list of sports competitions.

Held since 2010, Idol Star Athletics Championships has become a widely watched spectacle.

The popularity of the program - which shows K-Pop idols competing in track and field, archery, and other physically intensive sports - has pushed idols to do their best. Rookie idols, in particular, hope that by doing well in the competition they will also gain attention for themselves and their groups.

But as The Korea Herald notes, a number of idols such as AOA's Seolhyun, EXO's Tao, VIXX's Leo and SISTAR's Bora have suffered injuries over the past years while practicing or competing at the events.

Fans are calling for the program to be careful when planning the sports, and make sure that the participating idols do not get injured.

This year's Idol Star Athletics Championships will be filmed on August 10 and 11 at the Goyang Gymnastic Gymnasium in Gyeonggi province in front of cheering crowds.

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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-pop fashion bug – follow him on Instagram @mickjami.

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