Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in different parts of the world — Korea and Russia — are building bridges of friendship and brotherhood through sports activities, while a former boxing champion in Japan and a star dancer in Peru are bringing attention to their faith and the gospel through their achievements.
Futsal and table tennis in Korea
Latter-day Saint sisters — young women and adults, including mothers, daughters — from four stakes in Seoul, Korea, participated in a futsal tournament at a local university on June 1. The Seoul Korea East Stake won the competition, according to a news release from the Church’s Korea Newsroom.
Futsal is a smaller form of soccer played with five players per team and a smaller ball that is harder and less bouncy.
Several participants agreed the tournament was fun, provided exercise, relieved stress and fostered unity.
Han Chae-min of the Seoul Korea East Stake said, “Since I play futsal at church, I feel a good sense of belonging to the Church.”
Lee Young-hee, age 58, of the same stake, is one of the oldest participants. She appreciates seeing her fellow futsal players at church on Sunday.
“I still don’t even know the rules of futsal. I started with the thought of trying to digest food after eating, but my leg muscles got better while playing futsal,” she said. “The best part is that while playing futsal, we feel like we have become warmer and closer brothers and sisters, and it has become a family-like atmosphere.”
A men’s table tennis tournament, featuring individual and group competitions, provided similar results and feelings for members in the Seoul Korea East Stake on June 15.
Started in 2023, the competition is held quarterly and has generated interest and participation has increased. The sport has allowed individuals, couples and families to have a worthwhile activity.
Japanese boxing champion
A June 8 news release from the Church’s Japan Newsroom tells the story of Latter-day Saint Martin Binney, a two-time Japanese champion boxer and referee.
Binney was born and raised in a Christian family in Accra, Ghana. His original sports passion was playing soccer.
At the age of 23, Binney left Ghana and traveled to Japan to study and receive training in auto repair.
When he wasn’t learning about auto repair, he played soccer and met Nae Sugawara, who became a close friend.
At age 25, Binney suffered a serious leg injury while playing soccer that forced him to give up the sport. To stay active, he opted to try a sport he didn’t know much about — boxing. He began training and he made his boxing debut the same year he and Sugawara were married.
Within five years, Binney had become a middleweight champion while providing for his young family as a delivery man for a transportation company.
Unfortunately, Binney’s boxing success was cut short due to another injury he suffered in a car accident.
In 1995, Binney was delivering a copy machine to a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and met the missionaries, who introduced him to the gospel and gave him a Book of Mormon. He gained a testimony and was baptized within a few months.
His new faith inspired him to return to boxing, and at age 34 Binney became Japan’s middleweight boxing champion. His success allowed him the opportunity to become a boxing referee. As a professional referee, he has officiated over 217 matches.
His wife eventually joined the Church and they were sealed in the Sapporo Japan Temple in 2021. The Binneys are members of the Urawa Ward, Tokyo Japan Stake.
Peruvian dancer
After being named the national pre-youth champion in Lima last year, Latter-day Saint Adriano Céspedes Canales has distinguished himself in Peru’s art of dance and folklore scene, according to a June 11 article from the Church’s Peru Newsroom.
He discovered his talent for dancing at age 7 and has developed it through years of training and education at prominent schools of dance and folklore, with the support of his family.
While developing his dancing talents and doing school work, Céspedes has sought to live his faith and deepen his relationship with the Lord, which has blessed his life.
Interfaith table tennis in Russia
Latter-day Saints and representatives from various other religious organizations, including Christians and members of the Islamic faith and others, came together for an interfaith table tennis tournament on Oct. 21, 2023. Participants competed at beginner and advanced levels.
While competitive, the tournament was successful in building unity, brotherhood and support among the different organizations, local Church leader Vladimir Morozov said in a news release from the Church’s Russia Newsroom.
After the event, several participants expressed gratitude and hope the tournament would continue and possibly expand to include other sports.
