On January 4, an MBC official told Xsports News, “The ‘Idol Star Athletics Championships’ (ISAC) will not be broadcast during this Lunar New Year holiday.” The same official also added that MBC has no production plans for this 10-year-old program, and other shows will be aired instead.
This likely means that ISAC will end completely after 10 years of history.
Meanwhile, ISAC has been meeting viewers as a special program every Lunar New Year since 2010. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took a break for two years and resumed broadcasting with a Chuseok special in 2022, but discontinued broadcasting again the following year.
ISAC is an entertainment program where the top idol stars in the country showcase their versatility by participating in various sports events. It provided an opportunity to discover the different aspects of idols on stage and offered a chance to rediscover rookie or relatively less famous idol members, gaining popularity not only among fans but also across various age groups.
However, where there’s fame, there’s also controversy. In particular, various idols have got injured on ISAC over the years due to poor infrastructure, and despite the prolonged 16-hour recording, issues related to the prohibition of eating on set and restrictions on leaving the set have raised human rights concerns.
Additionally, there were concerns about COVID-19 spread during recordings, leading to confirmed cases. In 2019, former LOONA member Chuu faced a situation where her hair was pulled by a staff member on the ISAC set, leading to MBC having to issue an apology.
Source: Daum
