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.