New nuclear shadow hangs over Hiroshima

New nuclear shadow hangs over Hiroshima

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AFP): Hiroshima, resurrected from an atomic
bombing half a century ago, is threatened by fallout from a post-
Cold War nuclear crisis as it prepares to host the Asian Games.

The Asian Games will have more sports than an Olympics, there
will be a record number of competitors in Hiroshima. But
persuading North Korea to be among them will dominate the
attention of organizers for weeks to come.

The city is not despondent however. It is already counting on
its 1.5 trillion yen (US$15 billion) investment in arenas,
including a 50,000-seat stadium, and public works to relaunch
this sanctuary of prayer for peace into a world-class convention
city.

North Korea stunned organizers last month by deciding not to
compete in team events at the "Asiad" which starts October 3. The
country has so far kept silent about individual competitors for
whom the deadline is July 4.

"We have not given up hope on individual events," said
Sumihisa Kato, general affairs director of the Hiroshima Asian
Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC). "But our contact with North
Korea is very limited."

The secretive communist state refuses to give reasons for its
actions, while sport officials point to North Korea's
international isolation, compounded by economic woes and the
current crisis over its suspected nuclear arms program.

Kato said Japan would try to persuade North Korea at a meeting
next week in Taipei on preparations for an East Asian sports
meeting to be hosted by Pyongyang in 1995.

The civil war in Yemen also threatens to impair the 12th
quadrennial Asian Games -- following two previous editions
steeped in national propaganda.

But Hiroshima still promises to be the largest ever Asian
Games with some 7,300 competitors and officials from a record 43
nations and territories -- counting North Korea and the five
former Soviet republics in central Asia.

Thanks to the inclusion of peculiarly Asian sports such as
wushu and taekwondo, sepak takraw and kabaddi, there will be 34
events -- more even than the 25 at Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

For Hiroshima, Japan's 10th most populous city, the Asian
Games are meant to be a "catalyst for urban development" as a
city assemblyman declared before they were chosen by the Olympic
Council of Asia in 1984.

Facilities

Hiroshima, home to 1.1 million people and Mazda cars, has
since invested 1.5 trillion yen, including 200 billion yen from
the private sector, in construction of 21 sport facilities and
related infra-structure.

A new airport was opened last October and an 18-kilometer (12-
mile) elevated tram line will link the main sports complex in the
suburban hills with the city center in August.

While big corporations of nationwide significance balked at
sponsorship at a time of recession for Japan, local businesses
have chipped in three billion yen in cash and kind.

Official sponsorship from 69 corporations comes to 4.7 billion
yen, 2.8 billion yen short of the original target. There is a
total operational budget of 28.9 billion yen ($290 million).

The gap has been plugged by proceeds from a special Asian
Games lottery sales and donations from a national organization
sponsoring gambling on "keirin" bicycle races.

Hiroshima is never short of a sporting enthusiasm. It went
through a baseball craze and transformed itself into Japan's
football capital after the local Sanfrecce club won the first
half-season title in the J-League.

"I may go to see kabbadi or sepak takraw," said 22-year-old
Yoko Yamasaki, who works at an office automation company, as she
enjoyed roller-skating at the Peace Memorial Park, mingling with
young break-dancers. "I can see other sports anytime."

A new soft surface at the main "Big Arch" stadium could also
help the Chinese women runners break their world records in the
1,500-meter, 3,000-meter and 10,000-meter.

"We readily anticipate world records from Chinese runners,"
said the stadium deputy director Yukio Mihara.