Updated August 8 KST:

MBC has officially announced the details of this year’s Chuseok special of “2019 Idol Star Athletics Championships.” Seven main events and a spin-off game will be taking place. The events are track-and-field, archery, ssireum (Korean wrestling), pitching, penalty shootouts, eSports (PUBG Mobile), horseback riding, and the spacing-out spin-off game.

Previously revealed were new event categories horseback riding and PUBG Mobile, as well as the spacing-out spin-off competition. Contrary to what was suggested by previous reports, the mobile version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will be played instead of the PC version.

Also taking place are the archery and track-and-field events. The latter will be divided into the 60 meter dash and 400 meter relay for both male and female idols. Ssireum will be returning to the show in celebration of the sport being selected as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO last year.

Moreover, male idols will compete in the penalty shootouts event, while female idols will be competing in the newly established pitching event. The pitchers will be judged comprehensively based on their posture, the ball’s speed, and other aspects.

Are you looking forward to watching the show this year?

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The Chuseok special of “2019 Idol Star Athletics Championships” will be experimenting with lots of new event categories!

On August 7, the show’s PD Choi Min Geun revealed, “The new event categories of horseback riding and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) will be added to this year’s ‘2019 Idol Star Athletics Championships’ Chuseok special. Events like horseback riding that require specialized arenas will be filmed at another time and place, not on August 12 at the Goyang Stadium.”

Regarding safety concerns, PD Choi Min Geun stated, “We only received applications from those with experience in horseback riding, and the 10 or so idols are currently undergoing tests by the Korea Racing Authority. We will proceed with the competition if the exhaustive test results indicate that they are fit to compete. The race will be of an amateur level, not a professional level. [Idols] will not be galloping or jumping over obstacles. We will be looking at the teamwork they have with their horses at a walking pace. There is a possibility that we will decide to halt filming if difficulties arise. I believe concerns about potential injuries are expected, but we will prepare thoroughly to prevent any injuries from occurring.”

The PUBG event is another new addition to this year’s Chuseok special. According to several industry sources, agencies have been selecting their best PUBG players and training them for the competition. Many idols were reportedly delighted to hear that one of their hobbies was chosen as an official category this year.

A new spin-off category involves a competition to see who is the best at spacing out. The PD shared, “We got copyright approval, and we’re planning to set up a ‘spacing out’ zone for the event.”

Ilgan Sports has also reported that a new ssireum (Korean wrestling) event will be added, but this has not been confirmed yet.

Watch last year’s “Idol Star Athletics Championships – Chuseok Special” below!

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