Kim Dong-yeon Support '1st American Football' Opens on 4th... "A Sport Requiring Pioneering and Spirit of Sacrifice"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon attended the opening ceremony of the "1st Gyeonggi Province Governor's Cup College American Football Spring Championship," which opened on the 4th, and took a commemorative photo with the players.

The Gyeonggi Province Governor's Cup College American Football Spring Championship opened on the 4th.

On this day, Gyeonggi Province held the opening ceremony of the "1st Gyeonggi Province Governor's Cup College American Football Spring Championship" at the Gyeonggi Human Resources Development Institute Stadium in Jangan-gu, Suwon, with about 100 participants from 10 university teams from Seoul and Gyeonggi, including Governor Kim Dong-yeon, emphasizing fair play.

At the event, Governor Kim Dong-yeon mentioned his nicknames "Money-Making Governor," "Climate Governor," and "Sports Governor," saying, "My heart is full seeing American football players competing here in Gyeonggi Province," and introduced himself as "probably the one politician who supports American football, one of the unique sports."

He added, "American football is a sport that exemplifies the pioneering spirit, sacrifice, and excellent teamwork of football players," and "Gyeonggi Province will spare no support to help good sports with meaningful purposes grow and expand, starting with Gyeonggi."

This tournament is hosted and organized by the Korea American Football Association and the Seoul-Gyeonggi American Football Association, with support from Gyeonggi Province. Starting with the first game on the 4th, a total of seven matches will be held on the 6th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 19th, and 26th.

Gyeonggi Province decided to hold this college spring championship starting in February this year after gathering opinions from American football stakeholders to promote new and unique sports to residents and to expand the base of less popular sports.

The opening ceremony began with a cheerleading performance by Dankook University's Amadas squad. Then, Governor Kim Dong-yeon started the tournament with a coin toss (to decide offense or defense) and a ceremonial kickoff, followed by the first match between Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Dankook University.

Kim Jin-guk, president of the Korea American Football Gyeonggi Association, said, "American football is a sport that shows wildness and camaraderie-like unity," and expressed his pleasure in showcasing the charm of American football to the residents of Gyeonggi Province.

Meanwhile, American football is a type of football developed in the United States, derived from British rugby. Because its game strategies resemble actual war tactics, it is sometimes called the "giant chess."