President of the China Baduk Association, who hit the inside bones at a public meeting on the feast day...Why?
President of the China Baduk Association, who hit the inside bones at a public meeting on the feast day...Why?
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"It's a serious condition that can no longer be left unattended."
The intensity of the reprimand was considerable. Considering his usually quiet and gentle personality, the direct criticism was conveyed unfamiliar to the audience. The criticism was made in public on the feast day, adding to the shock waves that came to the audience. The remarks were made by Chang Hao (49), president of the China Baduk Association, who attended the closing ceremony of the "2024 Group A League" held in Hainan Province, China on the 16th. "We need to pay attention to the Rookie of the Year award in the Group A League, which has failed to find a winner as the Under-18s have not won more than 50 percent in the past two consecutive years," said Chang, who directly hit out. "What we need to consider here is the development of future talent." In other words, we can no longer overlook the issue of the next-generation Go player in China, which is a nation that has rapidly emerged.
Launched in 1999, the Chinese A-League is the world's best stage in Go, which is comparable to the English Premier League in football and the U.S. Major League in baseball. It is because it has brought excellent players from Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, which are powerhouses of Go, at a high price, to run a real match league with China's top players. Although the winning allowance for foreign players of Special A-class, which was 100,000 yuan (about 20 million won) per player of the A-group league, has been lowered to 60,000 yuan (about 12 million won) from the 2024 season, it is still superior to other countries' professional baduk leagues. The prize money allocated to the winning team of the A-group league (about 300,000 yuan, about 59 million won) is a bonus.
The final winner of the Group A league, in which 16 teams (composed of five to six players per team) participated in the 2024 season, has been decided through post-season games and other events. The Group A league adopts a promotion system based on the performance of the relevant season every year. The bottom two teams in the Group A league will be demoted to the Group B league, while the top two teams in the Group B league will be promoted to the Group A league. The Group A league, which is lower than the Group B league, is also taking a similar turn. This is why the Group A league is the core of China's Go.
Chairman Chang, who has been famous as a genius go player since his childhood, is a big shot who dominated the Chinese Go world by ranking first in the country for three consecutive years in 1997-99. Chairman Chang, who has been blocked by his fateful rival, Lee Chang-ho (50), and others, has earned the disgraceful nickname "Second-Winning Manufacturer" in major international mechanics, has won three world major tournament titles (the 2005 Ngshi Bae World Professional Baduk Championship, the 2007 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Bae World Baduk Masters, and the 2009 Spring Lan Bae World Baduk Championship) through constant efforts. He took office as the head of the China Baduk Association in July 2023, and is also known as a close person to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is famous for his "baduk man." President Xi even invited Chairman Chang to introduce himself to foreign VIPs who attended major international events in his country in terms of diplomatic relations above 盤.
As Chairman Chang had such a brilliant history and deep trust, the spotlight was on his straightforward remarks at the closing ceremony of the Group A league. "Wang Xinghao and Tu Xiaowi, who attended the event (today), all won the Rookie of the Year award, and settled in the Group A league," he said. "When we selected them, it was so fierce that we had a hard time selecting the winners." "I hope this event next year will see many people compete for the Rookie of the Year award," he said. "The juniors should work harder to follow in the footsteps of their seniors." He pointed out the current state of the Chinese Go community, which has changed dramatically from the past. 먹튀검증
Chang also urged veteran players to step up efforts. "Behind the victory of the Suzhou team in this 2024 season lies Korea's Shinjinseo 9 dan, which won all 15 games," he said. "It can be seen as a feat brought by the team's management, but it is nothing to be proud of from the perspective of the Chinese Go community." This also sounded like a complaint about China's report card on the global stage last year. In last year's world major competition, China's Dinghao (25) won the Samsung Fire Cup, and Li Xuanhao (30) won the Mong Lilies Cup World Baduk Open. In Korea, Shin 9 dan won the LG Cup, the Chosun Ilbo, the World Baduk Open, and Ryo Ichiri (28) won the Ngshibae title in Japan.
Was this the reason? "From the Group A league in 2025, we will change the rules for selecting individual awards that have been given only to Chinese players and give foreign players a chance to win," Chang said in an unprecedented move. His intention was to stimulate Chinese players' competitive spirit by completely revising the rules for awarding individual awards that he had observed for 20 years. Shin displayed overwhelming performance in Group A in the 2024 league, but was excluded from the list of final winners as he was a foreign player. Shin, who won all 15 games in the 2024 season, is recording 18 consecutive wins in the Group A league from the 2023 season.
Regarding Chairman Chang's aggressive moves, which are all-in-one to strengthen his internal competitiveness, there are voices of self-reflection in the Korean Go community, which is in a similar crisis. "Considering the situation in the Korean Go community, where there is no suitable latecomer to succeed Shin Jin-seo, the world's No. 1 player, Chang Ha-ho's cold perception of reality suggests a lot to us," a senior professional go player who is well-versed in the Chinese Go community said. "It is time for the K Baduk community to take some special measures."