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Arau Cup Basketball Tournament

Arau Cup Basketball Tournament

 

[시사타임즈 = 이철원 시사타임즈 회장] Who is the most famous Korean in the Philippines? Now, as the Hallyu wave represented by K-Pop, the younger generation will be singers ‘Psy’, ‘Sandara Park’, and ‘Lee Min-ho’. However, if you target all Filipinos, perhaps even today, basketball player Shin Dong-pa is best known. Shin Dong-pa, who served as the national coach of the Korean women's basketball team, swept the Asian stage in the 1960s and 1980s and is called the legend of Korean men's basketball. In the final against the Philippines at the 5th Asian Championships held in Bangkok in 1969, Shin Dong-pa scored 50 goals alone when Korean basketball won Asia for the first time by defeating the Philippines 95 to 86. In Korea, it was broadcast live on the radio in Bangkok, but in the Philippines, where people were prosperous at the time, it was broadcast live on TV all over the area. Even now, in the Philippines, the myth of a prodigy player has been passed down through her grandfather's generation to her children, and there are jeepneys (suburban buses) named after them, and there are also shop names in many places. When a basketball star comes out in the Philippines, the prefix of the second prodigy is attached, so it can be said to be the origin of the Asian Hallyu wave.

 

The reason why many Filipinos still remember Korea's basketball stars in the 1970s is that basketball is not just a sport to them, but has the same meaning as a kind of national dance like Taekwondo in Korea or sumo in Japan. Shin Dong-pa, a basketball player who sank the Philippine national basketball team that dominated Asia in the late 1960s, left a strong impression that will not be forgotten for over 30 years. The Philippines is the most popular country for basketball in the world due to the influence of the United States. The love of basketball is so great that it doesn't discriminate between young and old, and enjoy basketball games, and basketball tournaments are usually held at village festivals. And basketball uniforms are often worn by men, and basketball games are broadcast every day on TV or radio. Anyway, boys play all day long, even though they are barefoot with only one basketball, and only come home in the evening.

 

▲Residents entering the basketball tournament (c)시사타임즈

 

▲Arau Unit and Tolosa City Match (c)시사타임즈

 

During our disaster recovery activities, the debris from the typhoon that was rotting in villages and roads was almost cleared up, and about 10 public buildings including an elementary school were completed. So, I planned the ‘Arau Cup Basketball Tournament’ to bring joy to the local residents. First of all, the participating teams went through several discussions with the Philippine military, police, and local governments that support the unit, and then the best team by region in Palo, Tanawan, and Tolosa, the unit's operational areas, and 6 teams including the Philippine military, police, and Arau units. was decided. However, since the previous participating teams did not have uniforms and basketballs, we hastily made uniforms for each team, purchased basketballs, and provided them to all teams. Anyway, there were ups and downs, but I was able to overcome the difficulties (?) with a single heart for the local residents and finish the preparations for the competition.

 

We prepared lunches, popcorn, slushies, and other food for not only the players attending the game but also the residents who watched the game on the day so that as many people as possible could participate in the event. In addition, to add fun to the game, about 50 lucky tickets such as LCD TVs, bicycles, and strollers were prepared, and a karaoke machine was installed on the side of the stadium in consideration of the residents' propensity to sing.

 

▲Arau unit commander and governor watching the game (c)시사타임즈

 

▲Aarau unit commander awarding trophies to the winning team (c)시사타임즈

 

At 4 a.m. on the day of the event, a report came in saying, “The line is too long with people waiting, so we have to let people into the stadium.” When we hurriedly woke up the preparations and arrived at the site, it was less than 5 o'clock, and the line was already over 200 meters long. It is a fact that I found out later, but people found it this early because they knew that the information was misdirected and that the lucky draw prizes were provided on a first-come, first-served basis, or they thought it would be advantageous to arrive early. The event hall was a space that could accommodate about 500 people, but more than 1,000 people were successful without a break. Even now, I can't forget the anticipation and excitement shown by the people who were full of it. Every match was hard, and everyone who participated had fun, and even in the fair play, the locals did not stop cheering for the fiercely played match.

 

In the middle of the contest, lucky tickets were drawn, and the heads of local governments were drawn by lot and distributed to the residents so that the heads of the participating local governments could gain face. In particular, Governor Leyte and Mayor Tanawan stayed at the venue all day from the start of the game, and it was very unusual for a high-ranking official to stay in place on a holiday in the Philippines from start to finish. As a result of the basketball game, the Palo team won the championship. The Arau Unit and the Philippine Army were determined to win the championship and strengthened their skills through friendly matches several times before the tournament, but both teams failed to use their strength and were eliminated from the preliminary rounds. Since it was a competition held to give hope to local residents, prize money (500 US dolla) was awarded to all participating teams. Although it was a small basketball tournament, we are proud that it was an opportunity to bring joy to the local residents affected by the typhoon and revive the spark of hope and will to live. I would like to go see the Governor once a year to commemorate the Arau Unit and hold the‘Arau Cup Basketball Tournament’.

 

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