The name of one's alma mater endures long after graduation. Students may differ in the year they enrolled, their age and the paths their lives have taken, but those differences fall away the moment they put on a jersey bearing the same school name. Seniors and juniors form a single team, working and cheering together for their school's victory.
That is why alumni sports contests carry meaning beyond an ordinary competition. Graduates scattered into their own lives at work and at home reconnect through sport, and alumni in their late 20s join forces with those in their 60s and 70s — people who might otherwise rarely have the chance to meet — toward a shared goal.
Alumni contests are taking root as a pillar of amateur sports culture in South Korea.
According to sports officials on the 18th, the Hansae Global Cup Alumni Go Tournament, which opened on the 1st at the Korea Baduk Association in Seoul's Seongdong district and runs for three months, marks its 20th edition this year. The 19th tournament held last year drew 28 universities from across the country, including Seoul National University, Korea University, Kyungpook National University, Sungkyunkwan University and Chung-Ang University, in a contest for school honor that lasted about four months.
The tournament stands out for its long ties with Hansae, which has sponsored it for 17 years since 2010. With corporate sports sponsorship usually concentrated on popular professional sports, Hansae's sustained support for the unusual field of amateur Go and university alumni draws attention.
The appeal of the alumni Go tournament is that it cannot be won easily on the strength of a few top players alone. Because it includes not only individual matches but pair Go and relay games, teamwork between seniors and juniors matters as much as individual skill. An official at the Korea Baduk Association, which hosts the tournament, said the Hansae-sponsored alumni contest has been like a welcome rain for an amateur Go community that had few tournaments for enthusiasts to enjoy. The official added that beyond a mere competition, it has become a rallying point that unites graduates and a channel for generational integration that connects current students — future alumni — through Go.
Golf, too, has grown beyond friendly matches among alumni associations into competitions between universities. A leading example is the NH All One Bank Alumni Golf Championship, now in its 17th year. Uniforms symbolizing each university and cheering squads appear on the course, creating the distinctive atmosphere of a rivalry.
Sponsor NH NongHyup Bank's meaningful tie-in activities also draw attention. At last year's event, a "Birdie Donation of Love" campaign set aside processed rice products each time a player scored a birdie and delivered them to neighbors in need. The bank also ran a "breakfast support campaign" for students at the winning team's alma mater, practicing a culture of sharing through sport that won a strong response.
Park golf is also emerging as a new pillar of alumni sports. The Shoolz Alumni Park Golf Championship, held last month in Thailand, showed that park golf is evolving beyond a simple recreational activity into the realm of university sports. With the sport so popular that some 100 universities nationwide — including regular universities and lifelong education centers — run park golf courses, alumni park golf tournaments are also quickly establishing themselves as a new venue for bringing generations together.
One sports official said that behind the popularity of alumni contests in Go, golf and other fields lies the powerful common denominator of the alma mater. The official added that the steady support of companies backing the growth of amateur sports also provides a solid foundation that allows these tournaments to endure over the long term.
