Culture ministry steps up heat safety at high school baseball

The culture ministry said Thursday that Minister Choi Hwi-young will inspect measures to prevent heat-related illness at the Bonghwangdaegi high school baseball tournament as student athletes train and compete during summer heat.

At Mokdong Baseball Stadium, Choi will review apparent temperatures, the availability of ambulances and other medical equipment, safety staffing and conditions in dugouts, bullpens and spectator areas. He will also check whether cooling breaks are secured to deal with exhaustion and hear concerns from those at the venue.

Following the Korea Meteorological Administration's introduction this year of an extreme heat warning, the culture ministry has sent sports organizations, local governments and education offices draft standards and action guidelines for operating athletic events at different heat-wave levels, including guidance for that warning. Under the plan, games in summer competitions for student athletes will be scheduled mainly in the morning or at night during extreme heat warnings. It will also revise and distribute a comprehensive sports-event safety management manual through the Sports Safety Foundation this month, incorporating heat-wave response measures.

"Amid the heat wave that has continued day after day, nothing is more important than the safety of the public," Choi said. "We will do our utmost to thoroughly inspect heat-wave responses at sports venues so everyone can safely enjoy summer sporting events."