"Good Shot~!" Gyeongnam Seniors Compete in Gateball Skills

The 31st Gyeongnam Governor's Senior Gateball Tournament

The 31st Gyeongsangnam-do Governor's Cup Senior Gateball Tournament was held on the 6th at the auxiliary stadium of Changwon Sports Complex.

Hosted by Gyeongnam Province and organized by the Korea Senior Citizens Association Gyeongnam Federation, this tournament featured 40 teams, each consisting of five seniors aged 65 and older.

Gateball is a sport developed based on the croquet game played in 15th century France, using a T-shaped mallet and a small ball.

Teams distinguish between red and white balls and use the mallet to hit the balls through three gates in the playing field in sequence to determine the winner.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province (center), is preparing to throw the first pitch at the Gyeongnam Governor's Gateball Tournament.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

The preliminary round of this tournament is a league format where each team plays once against every other team in their group, and the finals are conducted as a knockout tournament where losing teams are eliminated each match until the last two teams compete for the championship.

The winning team will represent Gyeongnam at the Presidential Cup Senior Gateball Tournament held in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, from May 11 to 12.

The opening ceremony was attended by Governor Park Wan-su, Chairman Kim Jin-bu of the Provincial Council, Shin Hee-beom, President of the Korea Senior Citizens Association Gyeongnam Federation, and about 550 seniors.

Governor Park said, “Gyeongnam Province is focusing on various policies for seniors, such as senior job projects and integrated care services. We will strive to expand the foundation of sports for daily life, such as gateball and park golf, so that seniors can enjoy leisure and maintain their health.”

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