By Xinhua,
Seoul : South Korea’s Jeju island enjoys the benefits as a field training site for foreign athletes preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
According to the Jeju Free International City Development Center (JDC), 25 foreign field training teams consisting of around 680 athletes from 15 countries have already been to Jeju Island ahead of the Olympics set for Aug 8-24.
About 20 triathletes and taekwondo Olympians from Brazil, Denmark and Germany are scheduled to visit the island.
The JDC said Thursday that the direct income effect from the field training is estimated at about $2.6 million.
The popularity of Jeju island as a field training camp is because it is just a two-hour flight from Beijing and the time difference is only one hour.
The players can both train and relax on the island as Jeju has excellent tourism infrastructure, it added.