The Korean women’s volleyball team left for Turkey on the 22nd to participate in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
The Korean national team will begin its full-fledged tournament schedule, starting with its first match against Türkiye on June 1st.
The national team faces the task of changing generations. Last year, Korea lost all 12 matches in the VNL. Even at the world championships, it was only 1 win and 4 losses. Last year, the Korean national team recorded 1 win and 16 losses in international competitions, dropping to 23rd in the FIVB ranking.
There was a big gap for Kim Yeon-kyung, Kim Su-ji (Heungkuk Life Insurance), and Yang Hyo-jin (Hyundai Construction), who announced their retirement from the national team after achieving a semifinal myth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
As VNL puts the first button in this year’s international competition, national team players feel a great sense of responsibility. Kim Yeon-kyung also joined the national team as an advisor.
Looking at these juniors, Suji Kim gave sincere advice. In a recent interview with this magazine, he said of the national team, “I am continuing to accumulate experience.”
The performance of the national team does not simply stay with the record itself. This is because it affects the entire domestic league. If players who have brought experience on the big stage continue to play an active part in the domestic league, the level of the league can be higher.
Kim Su-ji said, “If you play a good game in the national team and come to the domestic league with good experiences, you can see and imitate the players who did not go to international competitions again.”
And that’s not all. Performance in international competitions also affects the success of the league. After the Tokyo Olympics, the popularity of women’s volleyball began to soar from the 2021-2022 season because more people became interested in volleyball after seeing the performance of the national team at the Olympics.토토사이트
Volleyball dreamers can also be nurtured. After the 2002 World Cup, many football dream trees were born, and during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, baseball dream trees called ‘Beijing Kids’ grew up and are currently running the league. Volleyball can also expect the same effect. Kim Soo-ji also said, “Young athletes and middle and high school students who watch international competitions and exercise will have dreams.”
At the same time, he gave affectionate advice, saying, “If not only students but also players who did not make it to the national team among professional players have a dream of ‘wanting to enter’, women’s volleyball will last longer.”