Players with and without developmental disabilities, local and international teams, and athletes from all over the world united on the pitch.
On the 31st, the ‘Hana Bank Invitational K League Special Olympics Korea Unified International Cup’ kicked off at Baekmagang Sports Park in Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. The ‘Hana Bank Invitational K League Special Olympics Korea Unified International Cup’ aims to break down prejudices against people with developmental disabilities and non-disabled people by playing soccer together, and to realize the value of social inclusion and equality for people with developmental disabilities. The K League and Special Olympics Korea (SOK) signed a business agreement in September 2021 to promote unified soccer for the Special Olympics, and this is the fourth year of the unified soccer tournament. Organized and hosted by K-League Assist and Special Olympics Korea, sponsored by Hana Financial Group and the Social Welfare Foundation, and supported by Dongwon Spring Water and Lingtee, the tournament is unique in that it does not award prizes for each team’s ranking. There will be a Leader Award for the coach who uses the most players evenly, a Harmony Award for the partner and two special players who collaborate on the most goals, and an MVP Award for the best partner and two special players selected by the match supervisor. 토토 All participating athletes will receive a team award.
The Hana Bank Invitational K League Special Olympics Korea Unified International Cup attracted 12 teams, including nine domestic teams (Gyeongnam, Daejeon, Busan, Bucheon, Seongnam, Jeonnam, Jeju, Pohang, and Federation) and three overseas teams (Paris Saint-Germain, Everton, and Kagoshima), totaling 210 athletes. In the case of Paris Saint-Germain, Lee Kang-in’s club, and Everton, a traditional English Premier League team, each club actively operates an integrated soccer team. The organizers sent a letter directly to the clubs’ secretariats to secure their participation. Kagoshima, a Japanese second division team, was invited to participate in the tournament after the J-League sent an invitation letter to the J-League secretariat and the J-League itself invited all clubs to apply.
Everton specialist Andrew Settle said: “Seven years ago, I played in a friendly against Incheon United in the Integration Cup. I was given the opportunity to come to Korea once in my life, so I didn’t think twice about it,” he said, adding, ”They say it’s the hottest day of the year, so I’m using it as an opportunity to lose weight.” Settle, an Everton fan who admits to being a fan of former Everton captain Leighton Baines, said, “I have autism. “I was introverted at first, but when I started playing inclusive soccer, I gained confidence knowing that I could play soccer with other people. I don’t care about the negative comments, I just look ahead and play soccer,” he said.
Lee posted on the club’s Instagram account, “This summer, the K League Special Olympics Korea United International Cup will be held. Our PSG team will be there. We wish them a successful tournament, Allez Paris!” he wrote in a message of support.
The domestic teams were organized in conjunction with local unified soccer teams, with a maximum of 25 players per team. There are 10 special players, 10 partner players, and five coaching staff. Partner players were recruited from existing unified soccer teams or through open tryouts. The coaching staff of the clubs participated in the program, conducting training sessions for the players and providing uniforms and equipment. Four clubs, including Daejeon, Gyeongnam, Busan, and Jeju, have been participating since the inaugural tournament in 2021. The KFA showed enthusiasm to participate in the tournament for the second consecutive year. Both male and female employees poured their passion onto the field. Kim Jong-min, a professional from the federation’s club support team, said, “Compared to last year, the tournament has grown in size and has become a bigger exchange venue with overseas teams participating. I think it’s a meaningful experience to play as a team with people with developmental disabilities. It definitely feels more intimate than last year,” he said.
The tournament consisted of 12 teams playing 11 games in a full league from August 31 to September 1. Each team played 11-a-side, with six special (developmentally disabled) players and five partner (non-disabled) players. Everton were unable to find a partner player on their return trip, so employees of Special Olympics Korea (SOK), a non-profit organization that supports sports and cultural activities for people with developmental disabilities in Korea, participated as partners.
Each match is 20 minutes long, with no halves. However, the time of the afternoon game was shortened to 15 minutes to consider the physical condition of the athletes due to the heat wave that soared to 33 degrees in the middle of the day. Local rules for this game were that the able-bodied (partner) player could not score consecutive goals, and that the developmentally disabled player and the able-bodied player had to alternate.
On the first day of the tournament, 12 teams battled it out at the Baekmagang Sports Park in Buyeo. PSG’s mixed-gender squad suffered back-to-back losses against Jeju, Seongnam and Kagoshima, but were in high spirits. Everton specialist Settle scored a goal against Busan and livened up the atmosphere in the stadium with his trademark boxing routine, which is a trademark of former Everton striker Tim Cahill. The 12 teams will play the rest of the schedule on Sept. 1.
