Published by the Gwangju International Center since 2001
By William Urbanski Since time immemorial, the Kia Tigers have completely dominated the professional sports scene in Gwangju, and for good reason. For baseball aficionados and casual fans alike, the … Read More
While BJJ is believed to have originated in 1925 in Japan, it was not until 1999 that it was first brought to Korea by John Frankl, a professor at Seoul’s Yonsei University, who came from the United States as a researcher and brown belt at the time. Nevertheless, it seems it has been just around the last decade that BJJ has been gaining real popularity in Korea, with more opportunities for both locals and foreign visitors to practice the martial art. Our Gwangju News team had the pleasure to talk to the owner and main coach of one of the recently opened gyms in Gwangju, Maruna Jiu-Jitsu.
“I came across a group called Running Running (러닝러닝) in Suwan (수완) that ran every Tuesday and Thursday night. With hopeful anticipation, I arrived early. Slowly the club members started arriving and welcomed me warmly. They all ran at varying paces, but we started and finished together. The leader invited me to consider running in the upcoming 11th Gwangju Peace and Unification Marathon (제11회 광주평화통일마라톤대회), announcing that they all signed up for the 10-km race. I signed up that night.”
The importance of respect is prevalent in everyday life and shows itself in sports, with Korea’s Son Heung-min being the epitome of good sportsmanship. The same can be said for the majority of Gwangju’s locals who have been following the World Cup.
On the first weekend of November, the county of Hwasun was host to the 19th Annual Dolmen Marathon (제19회 화순 고인돌 마라톤 대회). In addition to being surprisingly well attended, it was one of the most well-organized, exciting, and high-energy race events that I’ve attended in about a decade.
If I wanted to play a sport involving a bat and ball, it was cricket or nothing. I don’t know anyone in England even remotely interested in baseball. That’s probably why it took me a whole year before I went to see the Kia Tigers play.
Every Sunday at 2 p.m. – come rain, shine, or scorching summer heat – players from countries like Canada, Iran, the US, Uzbekistan, the UK, and Korea take to the pitch to show off their skills for a couple of hours. Like all sports, there can be a competitive edge to the game, but the team does not take itself too seriously, hence its slogan “You’ll Never Drink Alone.”
Following the recent article about Korea gyms in the May issue of Gwangju News and a brief introduction to CrossFit some six years ago in Gwangju News issue no. 167, I hoped to unveil some CrossFit mysteries and share more information with anyone who might still be wondering what CrossFit is and whether it is something for them. Mr. Yang In-sung, the owner and head coach of YongBong Training Center where I began my CrossFit adventure, was so kind to agree to talk to me about CrossFit in general, CrossFit in Korea, and CrossFit in Gwangju.
