The program, which is airing since 2010, has been attended by hundreds of South Korean idols. Although they come from different agencies, both senior and junior idols will gather together in the venue once they have entered the ‘ISAC’ competition. They will compete for medals in various sports. For example, futsal, archery, athletics, basketball, rhythmic gymnastics, and even traditional Korean wrestling. The ISAC shooting process does not only involve idols, but also fans. Just like their idols, the fans will also take pictures taking sessions from early morning to late afternoon. Like a concert, usually, the fans will support their idols by carrying their respective fandom attributes, such as lightsticks and mini-banners. In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with a list of several memorable moments from the K-Pop Idols in Idol Star Athletics Championships (ISAC). So, keep reading!
Rhythmic Gymnastics – WJSN’s Cheng-xiao, (G)-IDLE’s Shuhua, and TWICE’s Mina
Rhythmic Gymnastics is a gymnastic movement performed with rhythmic music or free exercises performed rhythmically. Rhythmic gymnastics can be done using tools or without tools. Tools that are often used are doubles, hoops, sticks, balls, ribbons, and hats.
WJSN’s Cheng Xiao
In 2016, WJSN’s Cheng Xiao attended the Idol Star Athletics Championships and joined the rhythmic gymnastics branch. Cheng Xiao used a ball in the form of background sound from the song “Maybe I Maybe You.” She wore a pink costume that was combined with soft pink and beads. Cheng Xiao’s appearance was truly perfect. Her appearance resembled a professional gymnast competing in the Olympics. Her body is really flexible. Cheng Xiao’s appearance even got standing applause from several boy group members. Eventually, Cheng Xiao managed to get a gold medal with 13 points.
(G)-IDLE’s Shuhua
(G)-IDLE’s Shuhua joined the Idol Star Athletics Championships (ISAC) in February 2019 in the rhythmic gymnastics branch. Although she was the last idol to join the rehearsal for the event, she managed to score 12.7 points.
TWICE’s Mina
Mina uses tools in the form of hoops. Actually, Mina’s movements and dances are very good and flexible. She had been taking basic ballet classes since childhood. But in the middle of her performance, she made a mistake where she could not catch the hoops she had thrown in the air. Nevertheless, this first mistake still didn’t affect Mina’s mental determination. But then, she made a mistake again, when she didn’t catch the hoop she had mounted on her shoulder. This mistake seemed to affect Mina’s resolution and ultimately dropped her focus on the performance. Moreover, near the end of her performance, she seemed confused about how to do the dance moves. Finally, the final seconds of the movement did not match the music. Mina seemed very sorry. She even cried when interviewed. Several other TWICE members also cried. Mina’s performance was awarded as many as 9.8 points.
Archery – BTOB’s Unique Costume and TWICE’s Tzu-yu’s Hair
Archery is an activity using a bow to shoot an arrow. The archery branch is one of the most popular branches in the Idol Star Athletics Championships (ISAC).
BTOB’s Unique Costume
BTOB‘s Sungjae and Eunkwang are not only known for having sweet voices, but they are also known as members who are able to entertain fans. The Idol Star Athletics Championships 2016 program, which aired on September 16th, was a special Chuseok program on the MBC channel. Two of the members of BTOB, the leader Eunkwang and the maknae (youngest member) Sungjae, again appeared silly in homemade costumes. Do you remember their costumes during the Seollal special Idol Star event? Sungjae wore a hanbok as Jumong, while Eunkwang wore a horse costume making him look like a Centaur. Their silly appearance invited laughter and attention from the audience and other idols. Even VIXX‘ N and BTS‘ Jimin tried to ride Eunkwang’s “horseback.” For Chuseok’s special episode this time, they again entertained the audience with costumes that were no less lively. Sungjae in his cold style appeared as an archer from the movie Lord of the Rings, while Eunkwang was styled as a cupid fairy. When asked to explain their costumes, Eunkwang immediately sang with the lyrics, “You were born to be loved.” Then he immediately took an archery attitude towards the audience. Sungjae was still acting cool until finally opening his voice with a made-up accent and broke the laughter of the audience, “Korea is very good in archery, I came to study.” Sungjae also did not forget to send love sentences to archery medalist Ki Bo-bae and send hearts and blinking symbols. Their splashy appearance did not help Sungjae and Eunkwang win the archery category. Nevertheless, they won the hearts of the audience.
TWICE’s Tzu-yu’s Hair
The Idol Star Athletics Championship (ISAC) aired in September 2016 has some exciting moments which are not to be missed. One of the unexpected contestants is TWICE’s Tzu-yu during the archery match. It was not a win but it got viral on the internet. Tzu-yu appeared convincing during the archery competition even though she looked nervous. She was not able to get a lot of points, but she had to recognize EXID’s ability to win the gold medal and beat G-Friend. Even so, her name was suddenly famous because of the movement of her hair when she shot the arrow which was so beautiful to see. The beauty of her hair movements due to exposure to the arrows even entered 9Gag, which is famous as the center of humor on the internet with the title “I’m charming.” Because of that, Taika Waititi, director of Thor 3, retweeted and parodied Kylie Hill. Do not stop there, news programs in Taiwan also preach and spread quickly on Twitter, BuzzFeed, Imgur, and other social media. “Tzu-yu turns mistakes into victory,” commented a netter. “She got 0 points because her hair made the arrow miss but instead went viral,” added another. Sana and Mina are trending too, Tzu-yu goes viral.