South Korean track and field athlete Lee Jung-joon set a national record in the men's 110-m hurdles at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday, but failed to make it past the elimination round. Despite setting a new South Korean record, in other words, he failed to enter the top 16: this is the lot of the only South Korean athlete to take part in the track and field event. Since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Lee was the first South Korean track and field athlete in 20 years to advance beyond the second round, but was forced to turn back after facing competition from international athletes. There's still the men's marathon and the 50-km walkathon, but 12 other South Korean athletes taking part in nine other track and field events, including the long jump and javelin throw, have mostly been eliminated from the first preliminary round.

This is the reality for our track and field sport. The world record in the men's 100-m dash has approached the 9.6 second range, but the South Korean record remains at the 10.34-second level achieved 29 years ago. There are 21 South Korean records that have been unbroken for more than 10 years.

Lee says he has always had to fend for himself and that he does not expect any help from others. Last year, he had to spend six months training in China, in the shadows of China's Liu Xiang. That's because there is no system in South Korea to train and guide budding track and field athletes. In the United States, Europe and Japan, track and field events are held almost every weekend. In Korea, one event is held every month or two even during the track and field season. There are more coaches from popular sports such as soccer and baseball at track and field sporting events than spectators. That's because they want to scout track and field talents into their own sports. Officials even have to make announcements over the loudspeaker, urging coaches to refrain from scouting athletes in the stadium.

The World Championships in Athletics takes place in Daegu in 2011. It's the largest global sporting event after the Olympics and the World Cup. At this rate, chances are that the event will end up being a medal fest for foreign athletes, while South Korean athletes, disqualified from preliminary rounds, will end up watching. The Korea Athletics Federation says it plans to send South Korean athletes into the final rounds of at least 10 events, but this sounds like an unattainable goal at this point.

Track and field is the foundation of all sports. Out of 302 medals up for grabs in Beijing, track and field accounts for 47. We must change our stereotype that track and field lacks vision and does not promise a comfortable living for its athletes. The government and our sports community must come up with opportunities for people to enjoy track and field sports as they enjoy soccer or baseball, while considering scholarships and special programs for promising athletes. Track and field must be nurtured for our country to become a true sports powerhouse.