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Jeonbuk State, in collaboration with the Jeonbuk State Office of Education and Jeonbuk Physicl Education Middle & High School, is continuing international exchange and friendship through sports by delivering sports equipment donated by students to youth in three African nations. On the 5th, the State and the Office of Education held a send-off ceremony at Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School for the project titled “Re; Play Together, Jeonbuk Sports Friendship Gifts,” shipping the items to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Namibia. The theme, ‘Re; Play Together,’ signifies resuming games (Re; Play) that had been halted due to a shortage of soccer balls and sports gear, this time together with Jeonbuk.

This initiative goes beyond mere material support; it aims to practice solidarity and friendship across borders through sports and to expand the foundation for exchange among future generations. In particular, sharing equipment that students actually used spreads the value of sharing while extending Jeonbuk’s international sports diplomacy into schools and the local community. The project originated from visits last year by officials from Zimbabwe and Namibia, with whom Jeonbuk has maintained international sports exchanges. During their visit to Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School, they requested support for sports equipment. Students readily agreed to contribute, leading to a broader international exchange program supported by the State, the Office of Education, and the school. The donated items total 616 pieces across 12 sports, including soccer, taekwondo, shooting, archery, swimming, etc. —comprising both gear previously used by students and new items collected for this project. The equipment will be delivered to the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and National Olympic Committees of each country via Zimbabwean diplomatic missions and international shipping. It will then be distributed to young athletes and youth active in organizations such as the Kirsty Coventry Academy in Zimbabwe, the Waitaka Taekwondo Club in Kenya, and the MTC Hopsol Youth Soccer League in Namibia.

Kim Jong-phil, Director General of Jeonbuk State’s 2036 Summer Olympics Bid Department, stated: “I hope the precious sports items that nurtured the dreams of our Jeonbuk students will serve as a new source of hope for African youth. Moving forward, we will continue to promote international exchange through sports, guided by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) core values of inclusion and solidarity.” Im Young-gun, Director of Arts, Physical Ed & Health Division at the Jeonbuk State Office of Education, said, “It was a meaningful opportunity for our students to put into practice the spirit of sportsmanship through sharing and caring while developing a global perspective. We hope that the students’ small but heartfelt gesture will be warmly received by young people in Africa.”

Meanwhile, Jeonbuk State has been steadily expanding its international sports network by dispatching a Taekwondo demonstration team to the World Taekwondo U-21 Championship in Kenya, participating in the World Union of Olympic Cities General Assembly, and broadening sports exchanges with African nations. Starting with the “Sports Friendship Gift” pilot project, Jeonbuk State plans to consider expanding the countries and sports covered by the initiative, while also promoting the hosting of international sporting events and exchange programs inviting young athletes from overseas, with the goal of developing Jeonbuk into a specialized international sports city.

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Contenders poised to shine at WACFutsal2025

AIPS ASIA News:

The quest for glory in the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup™ China 2025 kicks off on Tuesday, May 6 as the highly anticipated competition returns for a third edition.
 
Six years after the previous tournament in 2018, 12 contenders will assemble in Hohhot to vie for the crown. The eventual top three teams will claim the three available berths at the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, to be hosted by the Philippines – who have automatically qualified – in November.
 
Nine teams progressed from the first ever Qualifiers in January to join hosts China PR and 2018’s top two, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Japan, in the Green City. Two sides are gearing up for their competition debuts, namely Australia and the Philippines, while IR Iran will gun for a third crown in as many editions.
 
The Hohhot Sports Centre will stage all 26 matches, starting with the Group A clash at 5pm between Uzbekistan (FIFA Rank: 18) and Chinese Taipei (25). Making their third appearance, Uzbekistan reached the last eight in 2018 and have emerged as the runners-up in all three editions of the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Women’s Futsal Championship to date. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei reached the Quarter-finals on their debut in 2018 and will eye an improvement here.
 
In the evening at 8pm, first-time hosts China PR (26) will mark their third involvement as the 2018 Quarter-finalists commence their campaign against Australia (unranked), who enjoyed an impressive Asian debut by winning all four games in the Qualifiers.
 
The exciting court action continues the next morning on May 7 when reigning champions IR Iran (9) take on the Philippines (59) at 11am in the opening match of Group B. The Central Asians have won each of their 10 matches in tournament history and come up against an opponent eager to impress ahead of a historic World Cup on home soil.
 
The second pair in Group B will face off at 5pm, where both Vietnam (11) and Hong Kong, China (31) will make their third appearances. The Southeast Asians achieved their best ever finish of fourth in 2018 and head into this campaign as champions of the inaugural ASEAN Women’s Futsal Championship in 2024, while they have finished as runners-up at all five Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to date. The East Asians, meanwhile, are aiming to reach the Knockout Stage for the first time.
 
In the afternoon at 2pm, Group C gets underway with a clash between Thailand (6) and Bahrain (36). Third at each of the previous editions, the Thais are the highest-ranked side in Asia and five-time SEA Games champions. Their opponents, who return for a second time after making their debut in 2018, finished third at the last two West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Women’s Futsal Championships.
 
The first Matchday concludes with the second Group C showdown at 8pm, which features two-time runners-up Japan (10) and Indonesia (24), who made it to the last eight on their debut in 2018.

Courtesy AFC

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Contenders poised to shine at WACFutsal2025

AIPS ASIA News:

The quest for glory in the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup™ China 2025 kicks off on Tuesday, May 6 as the highly anticipated competition returns for a third edition.
 
Six years after the previous tournament in 2018, 12 contenders will assemble in Hohhot to vie for the crown. The eventual top three teams will claim the three available berths at the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, to be hosted by the Philippines – who have automatically qualified – in November.
 
Nine teams progressed from the first ever Qualifiers in January to join hosts China PR and 2018’s top two, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Japan, in the Green City. Two sides are gearing up for their competition debuts, namely Australia and the Philippines, while IR Iran will gun for a third crown in as many editions.
 
The Hohhot Sports Centre will stage all 26 matches, starting with the Group A clash at 5pm between Uzbekistan (FIFA Rank: 18) and Chinese Taipei (25). Making their third appearance, Uzbekistan reached the last eight in 2018 and have emerged as the runners-up in all three editions of the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Women’s Futsal Championship to date. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei reached the Quarter-finals on their debut in 2018 and will eye an improvement here.
 
In the evening at 8pm, first-time hosts China PR (26) will mark their third involvement as the 2018 Quarter-finalists commence their campaign against Australia (unranked), who enjoyed an impressive Asian debut by winning all four games in the Qualifiers.
 
The exciting court action continues the next morning on May 7 when reigning champions IR Iran (9) take on the Philippines (59) at 11am in the opening match of Group B. The Central Asians have won each of their 10 matches in tournament history and come up against an opponent eager to impress ahead of a historic World Cup on home soil.
 
The second pair in Group B will face off at 5pm, where both Vietnam (11) and Hong Kong, China (31) will make their third appearances. The Southeast Asians achieved their best ever finish of fourth in 2018 and head into this campaign as champions of the inaugural ASEAN Women’s Futsal Championship in 2024, while they have finished as runners-up at all five Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to date. The East Asians, meanwhile, are aiming to reach the Knockout Stage for the first time.
 
In the afternoon at 2pm, Group C gets underway with a clash between Thailand (6) and Bahrain (36). Third at each of the previous editions, the Thais are the highest-ranked side in Asia and five-time SEA Games champions. Their opponents, who return for a second time after making their debut in 2018, finished third at the last two West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Women’s Futsal Championships.
 
The first Matchday concludes with the second Group C showdown at 8pm, which features two-time runners-up Japan (10) and Indonesia (24), who made it to the last eight on their debut in 2018.

Courtesy AFC

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Jeonbuk State, in collaboration with the Jeonbuk State Office of Education and Jeonbuk Physicl Education Middle & High School, is continuing international exchange and friendship through sports by delivering sports equipment donated by students to youth in three African nations. On the 5th, the State and the Office of Education held a send-off ceremony at Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School for the project titled “Re; Play Together, Jeonbuk Sports Friendship Gifts,” shipping the items to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Namibia. The theme, ‘Re; Play Together,’ signifies resuming games (Re; Play) that had been halted due to a shortage of soccer balls and sports gear, this time together with Jeonbuk.

This initiative goes beyond mere material support; it aims to practice solidarity and friendship across borders through sports and to expand the foundation for exchange among future generations. In particular, sharing equipment that students actually used spreads the value of sharing while extending Jeonbuk’s international sports diplomacy into schools and the local community. The project originated from visits last year by officials from Zimbabwe and Namibia, with whom Jeonbuk has maintained international sports exchanges. During their visit to Jeonbuk Sports Middle & High School, they requested support for sports equipment. Students readily agreed to contribute, leading to a broader international exchange program supported by the State, the Office of Education, and the school. The donated items total 616 pieces across 12 sports, including soccer, taekwondo, shooting, archery, swimming, etc. —comprising both gear previously used by students and new items collected for this project. The equipment will be delivered to the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and National Olympic Committees of each country via Zimbabwean diplomatic missions and international shipping. It will then be distributed to young athletes and youth active in organizations such as the Kirsty Coventry Academy in Zimbabwe, the Waitaka Taekwondo Club in Kenya, and the MTC Hopsol Youth Soccer League in Namibia.

Kim Jong-phil, Director General of Jeonbuk State’s 2036 Summer Olympics Bid Department, stated: “I hope the precious sports items that nurtured the dreams of our Jeonbuk students will serve as a new source of hope for African youth. Moving forward, we will continue to promote international exchange through sports, guided by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) core values of inclusion and solidarity.” Im Young-gun, Director of Arts, Physical Ed & Health Division at the Jeonbuk State Office of Education, said, “It was a meaningful opportunity for our students to put into practice the spirit of sportsmanship through sharing and caring while developing a global perspective. We hope that the students’ small but heartfelt gesture will be warmly received by young people in Africa.”

Meanwhile, Jeonbuk State has been steadily expanding its international sports network by dispatching a Taekwondo demonstration team to the World Taekwondo U-21 Championship in Kenya, participating in the World Union of Olympic Cities General Assembly, and broadening sports exchanges with African nations. Starting with the “Sports Friendship Gift” pilot project, Jeonbuk State plans to consider expanding the countries and sports covered by the initiative, while also promoting the hosting of international sporting events and exchange programs inviting young athletes from overseas, with the goal of developing Jeonbuk into a specialized international sports city.

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