The ASPIRE E-Olympics was held at KAIST last summer from August 7 to 9, marking the first time students from ASPIRE's five member universities were brought together to participate in an intercollegiate athletic event. The KAIST Herald met with three student organizers to hear more about the E-Olympics and its purpose.

Can you briefly introduce yourselves?

Kim: My name is Yoseup Kim. I am a student in the Department of Materials Science Engineering, and I am currently the vice president of the KAIST Undergraduate Student Council, or Blossom. I was the person who initiated the ASPIRE E-Olympics.

Youn: My name is Hajin Youn, and I am a student in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering. I am a member of Blossom's Bureau of International Relations (BIR).

Chung: My name is HyunSuk Chung, also a member of BIR, and I plan to major in Business and Technology Management.

How did you get involved with planning the ASPIRE E-Olympics?

Kim: Though establishing an event like the E-Olympics was a long-term plan, KAIST had not set aside any funds for this purpose, and no timeline had been set. Wanting to set this plan in motion, Blossom submitted a request to take on the responsibility of planning the event. 

Earlier this year we were exchanging e-mails with representatives from other universities, trying to convince them of the event's importance. Asia is a powerful global economic center, but students still want to head to the United States for their studies. Isn't that because our universities do not have as prestigious a name value? Let's make ASPIRE a league of the best universities in Asia, much like the Ivy League in the United States.

We didn't gain the support of other universities immediately. Most people did not reply to Facebook messages and e-mails from a stranger. Through participating in an overseas business seminar, I met with these people in person and was able to gain their confidence. Afterwards, we were able to gain the support of the International Relations Team in running the ASPIRE event. This made it a lot easier to obtain funds and establish regular communication with other universities.

What was achieved through holding the E-Olympics, and why is it important?

Youn: Though ASPIRE was initially formed in 2009, interaction between ASPIRE members was usually limited to meetings between professors and university presidents, or academic events for graduate school students. We believed that this was not enough Ð networking between universities should be extended to those between undergraduate students, and need not be strictly academic. We started planning the E-Olympics with the vision of creating an event that would facilitate cultural exchange, cooperation, and friendly competition, and I believe we succeeded in realizing that vision.

Kim: The E-Olympics was an opportunity for ASPIRE to become known to the public, as it was the first ASPIRE-related event to be publicized in the media.

Can you give a brief overview of the program and results?

Youn: The categories were basketball, League of Legends, relay, quiz, and dragon boat. They were chosen to account for the strengths of each university so that the overall event would be fair to all participants. Though Tokyo Tech finished first in two categories, they came in third overall. Nanyang Technological University placed first, HKUST second, and Tsinghua University fourth. KAIST actually had the highest score overall, but we thought it wouldn't be right for the host institution to claim the grand prize. But the scoreboard doesn't really matterÉthe important thing was that everyone had a good time.

And why the heavy focus on sports? If you look at the history of the Ivy League, its origins are deeply rooted in athletics. Communication between top American universities was originally limited to academic correspondence and research collaborations. Intercollegiate sports events are what truly started facilitating exchange between the first Ivies. These athletic events brought member schools together and had a synergetic effect, enabling the universities to grow and develop even further through the establishment of a positive network.  

Kim: In that sense, ASPIRE's history is very similar to that of the Ivy League. The E-Olympics could be the foundation for a similar development in Asia.

How do you believe the E-Olympics will develop in the future?

Youn: HKUST has expressed interest in hosting the next E-Olympics. We are currently organizing information on how we put together the event, challenges we faced during the event, and tips and know-how in hopes it will help HKUST.

Kim: The KAIST-POSTECH War is currently in its 13th year, and it has become quite famous in Korea. Though very few KAIST students even keep track of when it is held, you have high school students who have read about it in papers and newsletters. When high school students read about the KAIST-POSTECH War, it adds to their desire of attending KAIST or POSTECH. My hope is for ASPIRE to become as well-known in a few years. In order for this to be possible, more effort needs to be put into marketing and public relations.

I am currently a sixth year student, but many of my coworkers are very young. If they continue to work with such commitment and passion, I think ASPIRE will have gained a substantial amount of recognition by the time they graduate.

Any last comments?

Youn: Personally, the E-Olympics met almost 150 percent of my expectations. We didn't even know for certain whether it would be held, until July. We were short of time and so understaffed that pretty much only one person was running each of our categories. In many respects, we accomplished something that was impossible. I can't help but feel extremely moved by the event's future implications, and very proud we were able to accomplish such an impressive feat.

Chung: The E-Olympics was a huge success. Most people who participated stated that they would like to participate again, if given the opportunity. This is only my third semester at KAIST, and I feel that organizing the E-Olympics is one of the best experiences I could have had as a freshman.

Kim: A common complaint made by KAIST international students is that KAIST is not very well-known in their home country. Due to this reason they often find difficulty finding employment back home. I hope ASPIRE will help to improve KAIST's name value and enable students with KAIST degrees to be recognized on an international level.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to the people who made the E-Olympics possible, with special thanks to other members of the Undergraduate Student Council, the KAIST International Relations Team, Imagination Effect, and ASPIRE volunteers.