2351 KOR Basketball tournament Kwnagju
austraLasia #2351

Eight Day Basketball Tournament in Kwangju draws large crowd

KWANGJU: 5th Feb. 2009 -- On 1st February, the Don Bosco Basketball Tournament officially opened at Kwangju Salesian High School for the 44th time. The tournament event first began 22 years ago (1987), and has become one of the biggest events in the life of youth in Kwangju. It runs twice a year - one in summer, the other in winter and offers the young people of Kwangju a chance to experience friendship and engage in relaxing, healthy activity. This year 88 teams are participating with a total of 650 young people divided into a Middle School Savio and a High School Bosco group. The tournament runs for eight days.
    The Tournament Preparation Committee is headed up by the Rector of the Kwangju Formation House, Fr Paul Myeong-Ok Na.  he is assisted by the temporary professed Brothers in philosophy, along with the pre-novices.  The referees are lay volunteers and some Brothers, all with professional basketball referee certification.
    Each team consists of friends or classmates and their parents are their supporting them, so the courts become a hotbed of screaming, cheering (and sometimes crying) fans. Most participants are not Catholic, but the tournament is seen as a pastoral opportunity, so various pastoral initiatives are on offer to introduce young people to Catholicism and to Don Bosco.
    The local media have highly praised this Salesian contribution to the youth of Kwangju.

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Title: australasia 2351
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces KOR Basketball Tournament
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2351