By Cl. Francisco Hyung-Jong Choi, SDB

Gwangju, South Korea,9-12 January 2020 -- Hello, Salesian Family, lovely and energetic greetings from Salesian High-school (Gwangju, Rector Fr. Michael Chang) Basketball tournament, filled with shouting for winning and the passion of the youth.

This tournament was initiated by a Salesian missionary from USA, Fr. Robert FALK early in 1984. It has now the 55th anniversary of the event. It is perhaps regarded as the biggest amateur basketball tournament in the country in terms of a 5 to 5 players regular game, not like a 3-3 in the street game.

So far more than 27,744 individuals and more than 3,531 teams have participated in it and all were youngsters. In fact, this event is designed to encourage their love for basketball and build-up cooperation and sharing through the games.

Like our Father Don Bosco said, just being a youngster is enough to be loved. We have prepared this event to let the young people of Gwangju during the winter holiday feel fully the love of God through basketball matches.

It is so wonderful to watch the young people, as the games are going on and on and their support for each other even when they were quite clumsy at the early stages. They also respect each other even after the match is over regardless of win or lose. For sure, they will be good and kind Christians and upright citizens when they’re fully grown up. I’d like to invite all of you to pray for them to be so.

• Youtube: Don Bosco Basketball Tournament n. 55 (2020)

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