10th President of the WKBL Shin Sang-hoon was inaugurated "Enhancing League Competitiveness and Expanding the Base"
Jul 03, 2024
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The WKBL (Korea Women's Basketball Federation) held the inauguration ceremony of the 10th WKBL's new president Shin Sang-hoon at the Rivera Hotel in Seoul on the 3rd. The term of office is until June 2027.
Governor Shin, who joined Shinhan Bank in 1982 after serving as Gunsan Commercial High School and Sungkyunkwan University, demonstrated his ability by serving as president of Shinhan Bank and CEO of Shinhan Financial Group. He was also deeply involved in the establishment of Shinhan Bank's professional basketball team.
Key figures, including Lee Yeon-taek, former chairman of the Korea Sports Council, and Kwon Hyuk-woon, president of the Korea Basketball Association, attended the inauguration ceremony of the new president Shin. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon was unable to attend due to his busy schedule, but he also sent a congratulatory video.
In his inaugural address, Shin said, `I will take the presidency at a crossroads in Korean women's basketball. The Korean women's basketball team was an Asian powerhouse with a total of seven Olympic appearances, including a silver medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1884 and the semifinals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. However, it is true that not only international competitiveness but also its position in domestic professional sports is narrowing a lot now. "Since his tenure as president of Shinhan Bank, he has put a lot of effort into revitalizing women's basketball." It is a great honor to be here now. "I feel a heavy responsibility with gratitude in that I was given the opportunity to fulfill my dreams as a team owner in the past."
He said "I'll make a competitive league. For the first time in women's basketball, the Asian quarter system was introduced to maximize competition in the upcoming 2024-2025 season. We will expand the Asian quarter and transform the WKBL into a challenging league with an international sense.'
We will also try to expand the base of women's basketball. The acceleration of regional extinction and population decline will further deepen the imbalance between events in terms of player supply. It will be a more worrisome issue for women's basketball. The federation said, "First of all, we will focus on the project to foster a sustainable women's basketball base with the six clubs and try to make it an environment that gives hope and opportunity to young players."
In his inaugural address, President Shin focused on the league's competitiveness and expansion of the base. After his inauguration speech, there was a question and answer session.
Asked how much do you expect the league to be successful, "The more the audience, the better. It aims to increase by about 30%. If you're greedy during your term, it's 50%. We will focus on events and marketing that can actively attract spectators.
As for the most important vision, "Expanding the bottom line". It is a poor environment compared to Japan. Japan plays basketball in over 3000 schools, but we know that there are only 18 high schools. It's an urgent matter."
He also mentioned the expansion of the Asian quarter and the introduction of a mercenary system.
He said "I think our players will improve only when we bring in foreign players. I don't know how many shots basketball players shoot a day. I think we have to work hard. I think constant training is necessary.'
It is President Shin who mentioned the establishment of the 7th team. "It is too early to mention a specific name," he said. There are a few places I'm thinking realistically. I'll go there and make an effort to establish the 7th team. Reporter Ryu Dong-hyuk: sfryu@sportschosun.com
sfryu@sportschosun.com
