The 'Ilwoo (一宇) Cup National Table Tennis Tournament,' sponsored by Korean Air, was held for three days from the 14th at the Gyeyang Gymnasium in Incheon. Korean Air named this tournament after the late Chairman Cho Yang-ho's pen name, 'Ilwoo,' to honor his passion for table tennis.
On the 16th, Korean Air announced that Chairman Cho Won-tae of Hanjin Group, President Cho Hyun-min of Hanjin Co., Ltd.'s Future Growth Strategy and Marketing Division, Yoo Seung-min, President of the Korea Table Tennis Association, and other officials attended the opening ceremony held on the 15th. Hosted and organized by the Korea Table Tennis Association and sponsored by Korean Air, this tournament featured about 700 table tennis players, including youth under 13 aspiring to be table tennis stars and table tennis enthusiasts nationwide.
The late Cho Yang-ho, former chairman of Hanjin Group, playing a match at a charity table tennis tournament [Photo by Korean Air]
Chairman Cho, who passed away, devoted over ten years to the development of Korean table tennis after assuming the presidency of the Korea Table Tennis Association in July 2008 until his death in 2019. Notably, his role was crucial in quickly normalizing the association, which was undergoing internal strife at the time of his appointment.
After becoming president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, Chairman Cho laid the groundwork for the advancement of Korean table tennis through institutional improvements such as supporting athlete development and training referees and coaches. He also worked to promote table tennis exchanges with countries like China, Russia, and Sweden and made various efforts to foster unity among table tennis players.
The late Cho Yang-ho, former chairman of Hanjin Group (center), taking a commemorative photo at the London Olympics men's team table tennis silver medal ceremony. Photo by Korean Air
Since 2009, he served as vice president of the Asian Table Tennis Union, contributing to enhancing Korea's status in the international arena. As an ambassador for the international sports organization 'Peace and Sport,' he helped sponsor an international table tennis tournament held in Qatar in 2011, which contributed to the formation of a unified North-South Korean table tennis team for the first time in 20 years. His support was also significant in securing the hosting rights for the World Table Tennis Championships to be held in Busan in February 2024.
Chairman Cho believed that cultivating experts in international sports administration was essential to elevate Korea's diplomatic power in the global sports arena. He regarded the use of English, the international common language, as indispensable for smooth communication with referees and officials in international competitions and emphasized the importance of related education.
He also contemplated the lives of table tennis players after retirement. During his tenure as president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, he instructed the association to consider future career paths so that medalists from domestic and international competitions and national team players could continue to live lives dedicated to table tennis after retirement.
Korean Air and the Korea Table Tennis Association plan to continue developing the Ilwoo Cup National Table Tennis Tournament into a representative table tennis festival of Korea, in accordance with the late chairman's wishes.
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