Korean cricket team comes to Sri Lanka for training
View(s):Have you heard of the Korean National Cricket Team? You might think that I am joking. But, it actually exists. This newborn Korean team is even coming to Sri Lanka for field training to brace for the 2014 Asian Games, which will be held in Incheon, Korea from September 19 to October 4.
Many Koreans, men in particular, are big fans of sports games such as football and baseball, and give fervent supports to their favorite professional teams. However, when it comes to cricket, they often wonder why it always appears on international sports TV channels and people fervently cheer for such a ‘boring’ game. I assume that no more than 0.1% out of 50 million Koreans even understand the rules of cricket.
Since I arrived here as Ambassador to Sri Lanka about three years ago, it did not take long before I realized ‘it is not possible to
Korean Ambassador Arjuna Jongmoon Choi
understand Sri Lanka without knowing cricket’. So I went straight to the Moors Sports Club and started taking lessons with local youngsters. With prior experience as a baseball player, I could manage batting and catching balls without much difficulty. However, keeping my arm straight when bowling still remains challenging.
As I became more attracted to the charms of cricket, I learned that the National Cricket Team was formed in Korea last year. Due to the lack of quality coaches and stadiums, overseas training was necessary in preparations for the Asian Games. So as a big fan of cricket, I invited them to the Island and helped making arrangements. Finally arriving on February 1st, they will attend trainings for 40 days and have several exercise matches with Sri Lankan teams.
In recent years, Korea has dispatched to Sri Lanka coaches of cycling, handball, archery and also Taekwondo. Now that Korean cricketers will be trained in Sri Lanka, I am more than happy that sports exchanges between the two countries will become two-sided. I strongly believe that the Korean team’s visit will further consolidate the Korea-Sri Lanka friendship and cooperation.
I have a Sri Lankan name of Arjuna, given by my friend – Commander of the Air force. As I look back, I feel that it might have been through a good karma that I received this name, which is same as the legendary cricket captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to its greatest triumph in the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
In the upcoming Asian Games, I sincerely hope that the Sri Lankan cricket team once again wins the gold medal and brings glory to its country. Then, I will be here to celebrate it together with my Sri Lankan friends.
This article was written by
Ambassador Arjuna Jongmoon Choi of the Republic of Korea in Sri Lanka