Chanyeol of EXO and Cha Eun-woo of Astro, both bowling enthusiasts, will compete against each other on MBC’s upcoming “Idol Star Athletics Championships -- New Year Special.”

According to the seasonal variety show, in which droves of K-pop stars compete in different sporting events around Lunar New Year’s Day every winter and Chuseok every fall, the two K-pop idols will take part in the next men’s individual bowling match.

Last time, Chanyeol finished with gold and Cha Eun-woo with silver.

Other male participants include Super Junior’s Shindong, Seventeen’s Mingyu and iKon’s Bobby, while female K-pop acts like Momoland, Gugudan, Celeb Five and (G)I-DLE will take part in a women’s bowling competition.




By offering fans a chance to watch their favorite K-pop stars do fierce battle in sports such as gymnastics, aerobics and archery, the championships have become entrenched as one of the most popular holiday shows since the first episode aired in 2010. The star-studded show is also on the to-do lists of many K-pop stars, especially rookies, as it is considered a shortcut to gaining broader public recognition.

The 2019 Lunar New Year episode will be co-hosted by TV personality Jeon Hyun-moo, Leeteuk of Super Junior and Twice, and will feature acts such as EXO, Red Velvet, GFriend and Monsta X.

(lotus@heraldcorp.com)