Korea Republic Playing for Their People at ITTF World

Tokyo, Japan, April 29, 2014: Korea Republic dominated their opponents at the 2014 ZEN-NOH World Team Table Tennis Championships today, with both the men’s and women’s teams remaining unbeaten after day two of the proceedings. The men’s team defeated Spain 3-0, while the women’s team beat France 3-0 as well, with yesterday’s near upset by the Netherlands firmly behind them.

But for the Korean players, a strong performance means more than just advancing to the knockout stages. The players wore black ribbons on their tracksuits today, in memory of those lost in the April 16 ‘Sewol’ ferry disaster.

“There was a tragic accident in our country that caused us sorrow,” said men’s team member JOO Saehyuk. ” We want to give our best at the world championships for our country.”

“We were all deeply saddened by what happened,” added women’s team member SEO Hyowon. “We want to get a good result in this tournament and bring hope and encouragement to the Korean people.”

It was business as usual for the top seeds in the other groups. China finished the day without dropping a game. The German men’s team beat Denmark 3-0, while the women’s team defeated Ukraine 3-0 and the Czech Republic 3-1.

The 3,000 strong home crowd had much more to cheer for today. Recovering from yesterday’s shock defeat to Greece, the Japanese men’s team emerged victorious against Romania, winning the Group C clash 3-0. The Japanese women’s team also continued their good run in the tournament, defeating both the USA and Hungary 3-0.

“We are in good spirits, and have a good flow,” said Japanese women’s team player HIRANO Sayaka.

Not to be outdone by the home crowd, boisterous DPR Korea fans filled the Yoyogi National Gymnaisum with cheers, chants and songs.

“It’s a rare opportunity we have to meet the athletes from our Fatherland, to see them play live,” said 43-year-old Oh Haeng Dok. “So we Koreans in Japan always hope that the team wins every game. We are always together with you.”

Galvanized by the support, The DPR Korea men’s defeated Belarus 3-0 in their group round robin match, arguably the upset of day two. DPR Korea’s women’s team was also able to maintain their unbeaten streak in the competition with a 3-1 triumph over Romania.

“The crowd lifted our spirits during the match, which in turn helped our performance,” said women’s team player Ri Mi Gyong.
The ZEN-NOH 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan from 28 April to 5 May, is also the largest world championships in ITTF history, with 144 men’s and 95 women’s teams participating. —- Photo credit: Remy Gros/ITTF30