Lee Yong-hoon, Chairman of Special Olympics Korea, “Unified soccer is a good social model”

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Unified soccer all-star game with K Leaguers “It will be a valuable asset to society.”

Lee Yong-hoon, Chairman of Special Olympics Korea

“Many people evaluate integrated soccer as a good social model.”

Lee Yong-hoon, Chairman of Special Olympics Korea (SOK), introduced to reporters at the Hwajeong Gymnasium of Korea University in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, where the ‘2023 Special Olympics Korea K-League Unified Soccer All-Star Game’ was held on the 9th, that integrated soccer is a mutually beneficial activity for both disabled and non-disabled people.

SOK is an organization that sponsors sports and cultural activities for people with developmental disabilities in Korea, and integrated soccer is a game played by players with developmental disabilities and non-disabled partner players as one team.

The goal is to help people with developmental disabilities and non-disabled people understand each other through sports and to realize the value of social inclusion and equality for people with developmental disabilities.

The Korea Professional Football League, which sympathized with this purpose, signed a business agreement with SOK in 2021 and established the Unified Cup, a K-League integrated soccer competition.

Regarding the integrated soccer sport, now in its third season since its launch, Chairman Lee said, “I saw that social value could be created through sports,” and said, “It has grown and become stronger over the past three years.”

Chairman Lee said, “It is important that the good model of integrated soccer continues, but it is also necessary for more people to participate and join,” and added, “If the good trend continues, this social model will become a valuable asset to our society.” .

He said, “In today’s society, the concept of ‘with’ (with people with disabilities) has become important. The activity that properly realizes that is integrated sports.” “It will lead to the concept,” he emphasized.

2023 Special Olympics Korea K-League Integrated Soccer All-Star Game

Chairman Lee said, “The main framework is to encourage (disabled people) to use the confidence and courage they gain through sports to lead to a spirit of challenge, which in turn leads to challenges in society,” and added, “I’m not asking you to do something for the disabled. “It means doing something equally good for the disabled,” he explained.

He added, “The idea is to play integrated sports not to help the disabled, but for the entire society. I value that meaning.”

In the All-Star Game on this day, six active K-League players, including Im Sang-hyeop (Seoul), Kim Seung-seop (Jeju), Kim Kang-san (Daegu), Park Tae-jun (Seongnam), Byun Jun-su (Daejeon), and Lee Chang-yong (Anyang), kicked the ball with developmentally disabled players.

Chairman Lee said, “I think it would be better if players whose names are familiar (to people) and people that ordinary people know also appear (in the All-Star Game),” but added, “As we saw in today’s game, no matter who comes and plays, we can communicate with each other, respect each other, and we can “It’s important to feel like we’re together,” he said. 카지노사이트존

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