19guide03   Album Posted Jan.29th, 2024, viewed 92 times

‘Golden Left Hand’ Cecilia IOC member “The late coach Man-bok Park is the father of Peruvian volleyball players”

IOC member Cecilia Tait, who led Peru to a silver medal in women's volleyball at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, visited Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul on the 28th and posed in front of the Seoul Olympics emblem.

“My long-time dream of coming back to my father, Mr. Park’s country, has come true.”

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Cecilia Tait (62, Peru), who was one of the world's best women's volleyball strikers in the 1980s, said this in a tearful voice after stepping onto the court at Hanyang University Olympic Gymnasium in Seoul again for the first time in 36 years. Commissioner Tait sat on her court as if she had gone back to her playing days and lost herself in her old memories for a while.

Tait, who visited Korea last week to observe the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, visited the Hanyang University Olympic Gymnasium before returning to Peru. This is the stadium where women's volleyball matches at the Seoul Olympics were held, including the final match between Peru and the Soviet Union. He participated in the Seoul Olympics as a member of the Peruvian women's volleyball team.

On the 28th, IOC member Cecilia Tait is deeply moved by her visit to the Hanyang University Olympic Gymnasium, where she played in the women's volleyball finals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

This match is considered one of the most intense matches in the history of Olympic volleyball. Peru took the 1st and 2nd sets first, and the Soviet Union won the 3rd and 4th sets. The Soviet Union won 17-15 after a close game that tied the score four times in the final five sets.

The Korean spectators who filled the gym unilaterally cheered for Peru, which won the silver medal. This is because the head coach of the Peruvian national team at the time was the late coach Man-bok Park (1936-2019). Coach Park, who is revered as the 'hero of Peruvian volleyball', was appointed head coach of the Peruvian national team in 1974 and then led the Peruvian national team in four Olympics, including the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Commissioner Tait said, “As a poor girl without a father, ‘Mr. Park’ was like a father to me. “He is also the person who cheered me on when I first started playing volleyball, saying, ‘I will become the best player in the world.’”

Coach Park was extremely warm off the court, but he made his training as harsh as possible. If I felt like I wasn't practicing properly, I had to be called out on Sundays and catch the ball and hit it. Under Coach Park's guidance, Taite was selected to the national team at the age of 16 and competed in the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Afterwards, he was called ‘Golden Lefty’ and dominated an era in women’s volleyball.

It was Coach Park who led him back to the court after undergoing knee surgery ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Coach Park said, “Now your time has come,” and appointed him as captain while he was focusing on rehabilitation alone. Although it stopped just before the gold medal, the Olympic silver medal was the Peruvian volleyball team's best performance ever.

Commissioner Tait recalled, “The only time ‘Mr. Park’ showed tears in his entire life was when he lost in the finals of the Seoul Olympics. He was like a father to not only me but all the athletes. When he cried, all the athletes shed tears together.”

Coach Park became the first Korean to be named to the World Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016. His students, including Commissioner Tait, made a surprise visit to Boston, USA, where the event was held at the time, and congratulated him on his induction.

After retiring from volleyball, Commissioner Tait served as a member of the Peruvian National Assembly and worked to develop women's and youth sports. He later transformed into a sports administrator and was elected as a new member at the 141st IOC General Assembly held in Mumbai, India last year. He said, “After becoming an IOC member, I was overjoyed when I heard that the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games would be held in his father’s country,” and “‘Mr. Park’ is the person who taught me everything I know now. “As a member of the National Assembly, he worked for Peruvian youth, but now that he is an IOC member, he wants to help all athletes around the world,” he said. 성인웹툰