S. Korea clinches 2-man Olympic bobsled spot

SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has secured a two-man bobsled spot for
next month's Vancouver Olympics for the first time, after qualifying for a
four-man event last month.

"I received confirmation from the secretary-general of the Federation
International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing (FIBT) that South Korea had qualified to
compete in the two-man bobsled category at the Winter Olympics," Pilot Kang
Kwang-bae of the South Korean bobsled team told Yonhap News Agency on Monday.
South Korea's current global ranking in the two-man event stays in 19th place
after its national team finished 20th in a two-man bobsled World Cup event
Thursday at Cesana Pariol, Italy. But three countries -- Romania, Austria and
Italy -- ranked above Korea have been disqualified, giving the Korean team a
ticket to Canada, Kang said. Tickets to Vancouver are given to the top 17
countries.
Japan, which ranked 18th in the two-man bobsled event, also automatically won a
ticket.
"It is the first time that South Korea and Japan have qualified at the same time
for the Winter Olympics," said Kang, who competed for his country at the last
three Winter Olympics. "I will demonstrate the pride of the South Korean bobsled
team in the Olympics," he stressed.
Last month, South Korea's four-man team earned a ticket to Vancouver after a
fifth-place finish at the America's Cup lifted them to a world ranking of top 15.
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