Former sports champions mentor youth for charity

Former table tennis players Hong Cha-ok, left, champion of the Barcelona Olympics women’s doubles, and Yoo Nam-kyu, who won the gold in the Seoul Olympics men’s singles, at Olympic Park in southern Seoul during a photo session for the Korean Association of National Team Members’ “sports classes” program. / Courtesy of Emerson K Partners

By Nam Hyun-woo

Former athletes who represented Korea in international competitions are helping underprivileged young people learn sports.

Members of the Korean Association of National Team Members (KANTM) on Monday joined a charity program dubbed “sports classes for juveniles” as part of their efforts to contribute to society by mentoring young students.

The classes were organized for several selected students in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces and will run for five weeks.

“The KANTM and national athletes opened the classes to provide opportunities for juveniles to nurture a sound mind and body,” said KANTM President Chang Yoon-chang.

Chang, who is a former national volleyball team member, said he believes in the positive power of sports.

“I visited a juvenile detention center (now converted into reformatory school) in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, some years ago for a sports program for the youth,” he said. “My fellow national athletes and I held a two-hour sports education program and had a wonderful experience seeing those defiant and rebellious kids become disciplined and positive.

“The head of the center expressed his gratitude and how he had never seen the kids so happy before. I was also surprised to witness how sports can change people.”

Chang said the young students later sent him fan letters.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the Korea Council of Sports support this year’s classes. Students can participate in seven sports ― volleyball, basketball, table tennis, boxing, judo, handball and swimming.

For the classes, many former athletes who had earned a cap or played as professionals participated. They include Chang; Lee Kyung-suk, former head coach of LIG Greaters (now KB Stars) in volleyball; Son Kyung-won, 1994 Asian Games gold medalist in women’s basketball; and Lee Han-kwon, former basketball player for Jeonju KCC Egis; Seoul Olympics gold medalist Yoo Nam-kyu; Barcelona Olympics bronze medalists Hong Cha-ok and Kim Taek-soo in table tennis; Seoul Olympics men’s boxing flyweight gold medalist Kim Kwang-sun; Seoul Olympics judo champion Kim Jae-yup; Seoul Olympics handball gold medalist Han Hyeon-sook and Lim O-kyeong, who won gold at the Barcelona Olympics and now coaches the Seoul City Government handball team; and swimmer Kang Yong-hwan.

According to the KANTM, the association launched the program to promote juveniles’ interest in sports, as well a way to search for prospects.

The KANTM is the first association in Korea where active or former athletes who have taken part in international competitions have come together. Established in 2011, it has been engaging in charity programs to return the support they received from the public, as well as promoting athletes’ rights and welfare.