The Winter Olympics may be another two years away but for snowboard enthusiasts Korea will be the place to be from 14-24 January for the fun and excitement of the 2009 FIS Snowboard World Championships.


It will be the first time for the championships to be held in an Asian country and for Korea it will be one of the largest winter sporting events ever held in the country attracting over 1,200 participants from fifty countries.



The main venue for the championships will be Hyundai Sungwoo Resort in Hoengseoung County, known as the Alps of Korea. Located in Gangwon Province on the east coast of Korea the resort is an easy one and half hours drive from Seoul. The Hyundai Sungwoo Resort will host the main events – Parallel Giant Slalom, Parallel Slalom, Halfpipe and Snowboard Cross. Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium is a venue for simultaneously holding the opening ceremonies with Sungwoo Resort and will also host the preliminary and final competitions for Women’s and Men’s Big Air.



Gangwon Province is considered the ‘winter sports hub’ of Asia and is home to seven ski resorts, pristine landscapes, historical relics and world class accommodations. The province attracts more than 50 million visitors each year, with nearly half a million hailing from other Asian countries specifically for the purpose of ski travel.



In preparation for the 2009 Snowboard World Championships the resort is currently expanding with a new 400 room hotel to be open by the end of this year as well as the development of a 36 hole golf course and water park for the summer season.



Organizers and local officials are promising the championships will be a ‘Festival of World Cultures’ for the many people that will compete and enjoy the championships. Gangwon Province officials will be joining the Korea Tourism Stands 82/83 at the Sydney Adventure and Backpackers Expo from 15-16 November, 2008 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. For inf