Honam University Establishes Table Tennis and Ssireum Teams... Rising as a Cradle for Amateur Sports

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Honam University has taken a bold step by establishing a men's table tennis team and a ssireum team to promote the development of amateur sports in the region.

On the morning of the 15th, Honam University announced that it held the founding ceremony for the men's table tennis and ssireum teams at the International Conference Room on the first floor of the Central Library on campus.

The ceremony was attended by Lee Pyeong-hyeong, Secretary General of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Sports Council; Park Seok-in, President of the Gwangju Table Tennis Association; Kim Jong-tak, President of the Gwangju Ssireum Association; and Jo Gyu-jeong, Dean of the College of Culture, Arts and Physical Education at Honam University.

The men's table tennis team was formed with a total of six members, centered on three second-year students: Kim Gyeong-won, Kwon Do-young, and Park Jun-hyeon, along with first-year students Seol Hyeon-cheol, Jeong Geon-woo, and Choi Ji-seong.

The ssireum team consists of four members: Han Seung-woo (lightweight, 3rd year), Seo Seung-young (middleweight), Jo Young-joo (heavyweight, both 2nd year), and Lee Geon-woo (super heavyweight, 1st year).

With this, Honam University, which started with the men's soccer team founded in 1982, has added two more teams, now operating a total of 14 teams across 10 sports disciplines with 142 university athletes.

Jo Gyu-jeong, Dean of the College of Culture, Arts and Physical Education at Honam University, said, "The men's table tennis and ssireum teams were established through the joint efforts of the Gwangju Sports Council, associations, and Honam University. This will be an opportunity for Honam University to rise as a top 10 sports university nationwide. We will provide wholehearted support to produce good results and contribute to the development of regional and national sports."

Lee Pyeong-hyeong, Secretary General of the Gwangju Sports Council, said, "Despite difficult circumstances, I would like to express my gratitude and congratulations to President Park Sang-cheol, who decided to establish university sports teams, a long-cherished wish of the local sports community, as well as to the table tennis and ssireum associations. We will strive to strengthen linked development and provide various supports at the Sports Council level so that athletes can focus on their training."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.