The Words of the Burton Family

Unificationist Sports Tournament Aims to Rival the Olympic Games

Douglas Burton
September 9, 2010


The American soccer team (in yellow) together with Coach Gary Abrahams (second top left), posing behind the Japanese soccer team (in blue) at the Wongu Peace Cup held in South Korea in October 2009.

Close to 50 young Unificationists from the United States are aiming for cash prizes and unforgettable fellowship at the second annual Wongu (Round Ball) Peace Cup Games in South Korea on Oct 12, 2010. Our True Father has called the "Round-Ball" Games a history-changing sports competition.

True Parents founded the "Harmony and Unification Games" on the occasion of their 50th Holy Wedding Anniversary in 2009, and held the 'Cosmic Cain-Abel Wongu Peace Cup Competition' on April 21, 2009. Competitors from many nations participated in an international Round Ball Peace Cup tournament just prior to the Oct. 14, 2009 Marriage Blessing in Asan, Korea.

"This year's competition is a part of the Shim Jung culture, which also includes pledge ceremonies, Ahn-shi-il, the Blessing, Seunghwa Ceremonies, etc.," according to Dr. Chang Shik Yang, USA Continental Director of HSA-UWC. He adds: "It will become part of the culture of Cheon Il Guk." Last year. True Parents expressed their hope that this tournament eventually will eclipse the Olympic Games.

Although the Unification Church has sponsored the World Culture and Sports Festivals since 1992, the Wongu Peace Cup event is providentially different, according to the Founder. True Father explained the significance of this new sports event in his speech, "Owner of Peace, Owner of Lineage":

"Within one second, the cosmos could change from the Era before the Coming of Heaven to the Era after the Coming of Heaven. It could likewise change from the Era above Heaven to the Era below Heaven, or from the Era in front of Heaven to the Era behind Heaven. These changes can be represented by the motion of a round ball. In Korean I coined the word won-gu, meaning "round ball," for the title of the Wongu Peace Cup. Although you may not realize it, the cosmos changed as a result of the Wongu Peace Cup Cain-Abel Cosmic Tournament. The purpose of the Wongu tournaments is to unite heaven and earth, which have been divided as a result of the Fall."

Tournament organizers report that hundreds of participants, travelling from dozens of nations, will converge at the Namyangju Sports Cultural Center at the Yong Pyong Resort in Korea on Oct. 9, 2010. Whereas soccer and basketball will draw the most participants, other competitions include volley ball, table tennis, dodge ball, golf, badminton, martial arts, and track. The top prize for the winning soccer team is $3,000, with $2,000 for basketball, and $2,000 for the Harmony-and-Unity game, which resembles shuffleboard.

USA Soccer coach Gary Abrahams, whose team last year won 2nd place, says the Round Ball tournament, "was a great opportunity for talented young American athletes to compete with others from around the world. Normally, good athletes don't get the opportunity to compete internationally. It gives them bragging rights to say they played against athletes from Europe and Asia. Our team was comprised of all Blessed Children, and they were inspired to encounter other BC's who could play at their level." 

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