sports

The National Inter-provincial Games-2024 in Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Sports Day opened in Pyongyang on October 13.

Among the preliminaries which started on the opening day, the best crowd-pullers were a men’s volleyball match between the South Hwanghae and North Hamgyong provincial teams and a tug-of-war between the South Hwanghae provincial and Rason city teams which both took place at Pyongyang Indoor Stadium on the following day.

The volleyball players of the South Hwanghae and North Hamgyong provincial teams showed excellent playing scenes by dint of skills and diverse tactics on a par with those of professionals.

It was difficult to judge which team was superior because the two teams were contending for victory neck and neck by a margin of merely one or two points, but when the team of North Hamgyong Province was ahead of its rival 2-1, the spectators began to think the former would win.

But the team of South Hwanghae Province won the fourth round of the match to go to the fifth round, making even the spectators tense.

The team of South Hwanghae Province finally broke into cheers by winning the fifth round which proceeded in an atmosphere of uneasiness, anxiousness and tension.

The team’s players did not lose heart on unfavourable ground but remained highly calm and displayed a dogged fighting spirit.

The match was followed by a tug-of-war between the teams of South Hwanghae Province and Rason City which revved up the atmosphere of the stadium. 

What was interesting was that the leaders of both teams skilfully used body language instead of signal flags to prevent each other from perceiving their own tactical guidance of their teams.

The role of the leaders is very important in a tug-of-war, a national sport in which two groups of equal numbers compete in a fixed time by pulling a rope against each other.

The whistle of the referee announced the start of the game, and the players of both teams waited for their leaders’ signals.

The team of Rason City first put forth all their strength, according to a signal of their leader who stamped one foot.

The leader of the South Hwanghae provincial team, who was watching the movement of the rival with his hands folded behind his back for a while, gave a signal for his players to get ready, shaking his flag calmly.

Then the leader of the Rason city team who was trying to employ a countermeasure tactic in time, his players and all the spectators sharply watched the flag of the leader of the other team. 

But the latter suddenly took the action of heading a football with his head instead of using the flag.

Then, his players powerfully pulled the rope all at once without letup.

The team beat its rival 2-0 thanks to the role of its leader who skilfully applied body language throughout the game.

Many people recognized the ability of the South Hwanghae provincial team through the volleyball match and tug-of-war.