[Disability Baseball Today] ② The Question We Confronted on the World Stage

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

International tournaments are venues where athletes from various countries compete to test their skills.

However, for the athletes, the significance of international competitions extends beyond winning and losing. They also serve as opportunities for players who have lived in different environments to meet, play together, and confirm that sports can connect people.

At the World Disability Baseball Championship, I met players from several countries, including Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Puerto Rico. What impressed me on the field was not just the athletes' skills. It was also seeing players with severe disabilities participating in games alongside their teammates, fulfilling their roles, and enjoying baseball. While I was moved by these scenes, I simultaneously found myself reflecting on the reality of our national team.

We also had players who loved baseball and had trained for a long time. Nevertheless, in the national teams I experienced, it repeatedly happened that players with severe disabilities did not receive sufficient opportunities to compete. On the field, our team was consistently led by players with mild disabilities, unlike other teams.

Seeing players from other countries without arms or legs on the international stage made us question what criteria we were using to run our team.

At a recent international tournament, an official from the host country also raised questions regarding our national team's player composition and actual participation in games. What those words left me with was not mere bewilderment. It was the question of whether we, representing disability baseball at international tournaments, are truly demonstrating the values of disability sports sufficiently.

Disability sports cannot have victory as its sole goal. Its goal must be to inspire emotion. Of course, player composition and game management methods may differ by country. This does not mean we should simply copy the approaches of other nations. Competitive performance, safety, and tournament regulations must always be considered. However, if examples from other countries provide us with food for thought, it is right to seek improvements suited to our reality rather than ignoring them.

Disability sports do not exist solely to showcase the success of a few athletes who have overcome their disabilities. It holds significant meaning in helping people with diverse disabilities express themselves through sports, collaborate with teammates, and discover new possibilities.

What we should show at the World Championship is not just medals. The sight of players with different disabilities and abilities challenging together is also a testament to the skill and dignity of South Korea's disability baseball.

The questions received on the international stage were uncomfortable. However, uncomfortable questions sometimes initiate change. If we truly want to be recognized on the world stage, we must first look back at whether fair participation is being achieved within our national team. The sportsmanship we show to the world begins inside the stadium.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original