Promising skaters injured on crumbling Suncheon track

Suncheon City Council member Ju U-seong said the facility's deterioration threatens athlete safety and called for urgent track resurfacing and drainage repairs.

"It's just a different sport from the film 'Take Off' — but sending 10 athletes to the National Sports Festival for All and five to the National Youth Games in May, with two reaching the finals, from a track so poor that improving times is out of the question and training itself is barely possible, can only be called a miracle," one parent said.

The inline skating rink in Yeonhyang-dong, Suncheon, has been producing a steady stream of injuries due to its worn and rough track surface, yet the city has shown little willingness to invest in repairs, fueling growing frustration among athletes and their parents.

The facility is beset by a range of safety hazards: the floor surface has lost its grip, causing skaters to slip; wide cracks have opened across the track and the central plaza; rainwater pools on the surface; and the safety fencing has corroded with age.

The rink also has no spectator seating. The protective cushioning around the track was installed 13 years ago and is torn in multiple places, while the wall padding and lighting are so dim that athletes have been avoiding the facility for training.

Suncheon has carried out only patchwork repairs on select sections and has left drainage problems unresolved, leading to the absurd situation where athletes and recreational skaters must bail out standing water before they can practice after rain.

Many parents have responded by sending their children to train at the Jinnam Sports Park inline roller rink in Yeosu, which holds a Class 1 certified facility, bearing the added burden of time and travel costs.

Kim, 43, a parent of a competitive inline skater, said her child suffers abrasions from falls during practice because the track is paved with asphalt, even when wearing knee pads. "The Korea Roller Sports Federation president visited the rink in person in May because the facility offers no protection for athletes — yet Suncheon City has done nothing, citing a lack of budget," she said.

After inspecting the Suncheon inline facility at the time, the federation president said athlete safety and skill development required the construction of an indoor rink. He also called for a multipurpose sports complex that could accommodate inline skating alongside skateboarding, an Olympic discipline.

Despite these conditions, Suncheon's inline roller skaters have shown strong individual talent: five competed at this year's National Youth Games, with two reaching the finals, and Suncheon athletes accounted for 45.7 percent of all participants at the South Jeolla Province and Gwangju education superintendent's inline skating competition.

The city said the inline rink site is earmarked for a waste incineration facility, that the roller federation had not formally requested consultations, and that the shallow pool of competitive roller athletes made it difficult to commit budget to facility upgrades.

The deteriorating conditions and safety concerns at the Suncheon inline skating rink have also been raised in the Suncheon City Council.

Council member Ju U-seong said Sunday that because inline skating involves children and teenagers traveling at high speeds, the facility's age "goes beyond mere inconvenience and could lead to serious casualties." He said he would review the rink's inspection records and budget history in detail and pledged to secure funding for improvements — including track resurfacing and drainage repairs — and to address the facility's condition through the council.