When realizing that the people in the town of Gressier, Haiti were without a proper soccer field, the United Nations peacekeepers of the Republic of Korea's Engineering Company (ROKENGCOY), who are stationed in the area, decided to help provide one. "We knew they wanted to have a good field so they could practice and play the most popular sport in Haiti. So we (ROKENGCOY) accepted it as a challenge and very soon we had not only built a proper field, but organized a football tournament to inaugurate the field," said Maj Kim Jung Min.

On April 28, members of ROKENGCOY and the people of Gressier held an official opening ceremony attended by the Mayor of Gressier, Mr. Jean Michelet Paul, and the ROKENGCOY commander, Colonel Park Sung-Ho. After both provided short remarks, the Mayor accepted a donation of uniforms for each of the 16 community teams and soccer equipment from ROKENCOY.

Then the fun really began at a kickoff ceremony with Col Sung-Ho and the future youth soccer players. "Soccer has a magical quality that binds the global community as one. Through this event, I hope that Haitians can gain the strength to overcome the pains from the earthquake," Col Sung-Ho said.

The first game on the new soccer field was a match between team "Don Dibel" and team "Koutroch". It was a very close game but players of "Don Dibel" emerged victorious with score of 1-0.

"The newly-built soccer field is the best present I have received during my term in office. The soccer field and balls presented as gifts by ROKENGCOY has allowed the local residents to enjoy soccer in a better environment," said Mr. Paul during the ceremony.

HL/ HaitiLibre