Photo's from ITS 2008, Seoul's International Touch Tournament

We have about a thousand photos from the ITS 2008 Touch tournament and teams can now contact internationaltouchseoul@gmail.com to get access to 60-odd of the best pics...online.

More coverage in the newspapers of ITS 2008, Seoul's Touch tournament

Joe Moon, the JoongAng Daily reporter visited the ITS tournament and met and interviewed a lot of people. Here is his summary of the day, and although he mixes Touch with rugby, he has a simple and effective description of what makes Touch unique...
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2895211
This is the second article published in JoongAng about Touch this year. This newspaper is sold alongside the International Herald Tribune in Korea....

Hands keep hometown flags flying in ITS 2008 Touch tournament, Seoul

This is the famous Tits for Hands team (have you noticed how the newspapers only refer to them as "Hands"?) who belied their name this weekend as they held off the foreign challenge to keep one of the major ITS titles safe on the peninsula.
This is the second tournament in a row won by T4H and they look good now, timing their run to perfection in the Spire Touch Championship.
Talking of which, there should be one more tournament before the year end and Taejon is ruimoured to be itching to host it.....time to get on the road again!!

ITS 2008, Seoul's touch tournament gets wall papered

Lots of coverage for ITS in Korea Times and JoongAng Daily on Wed 24th Sept....check out the great photo and some queasy quotes in this article; http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/09/139_31495.html
It has to be said, Monsoon were a complete revelation....and they lived up to their bold claims in the tournament programme!
More photos from ITS 2008 will be available and the location to find them will be announced on this blog shortly.

New location for Touch in Korea?

The Seoul Metropolitan Government are rumoured to be considering a new location where Touch can be played alongside the river. If true, this would resolve the longstanding issue that hampers the development of the sport in Korea. With the Hangang Renaissance project removing the Yeouido rugby pitch, the situation had been worsening, despite the obvious and increasing demand for the facility amongst Koreans and foreign residents. The new pitch will be a real leg up for sport and collaboration between the host and foreign communities.

Meanwhile, Touch continues to be played every Saturday morning 9:30-11:30 on Yongsan Family Park. Just bring your gear and join in....

ITS 2008 "VIP and First Aid...a heady mix"

The first aid at ITS was provided by East-West Neo Clinic and here is the organiser and tournament nurse enjoying a tonic (of some sort) from the VIP tent right next door....fetching outfit this one and with the heavy rain, it became the look of the day....

Thanks Anne for making sure such an important function was provided and administered so well!

ITS 2008 is everywhere in Yonsei, Korea, Seoul Women's and Samyook University and PAGODA!

Thanks to 옷 애 (Osae, guess what it means!)

Pagoda kindly publicizes the tournament at its five branches and on the website.

The two rival universities, Yonsei and Korea university teams, will participate in ITS 2008!

Samyook and SWU are just five minutes away from KMA, so we expect more audiences from them!

Yes, ITS 2008 really is everywhere!!

International Touch Seoul is getting good coverage in local media....see the latest report in the Korea Times today;
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2008/09/139_31096.html
This one is more of a human interest story!

Samsung sponsors wheelchair rugby!

http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-09/12/content_9939102.htm
Here in the paraolympics...

And more places.....

.....like here in the Korea Herald!!
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/community/exp_index.asp
Talk it up!!!

ITS 2008 is everywhere in Korea

1. Naver (The most popular search portal in Korea)

http://search.naver.com/search.naver?sm=tab_hty&where=nexearch&query=2008%C0%CE%C5%CD%B3%BB%BC%C5%B3%CE%C5%CD%C4%A1%BC%AD%BF%EF+&x=22&y=13

2. Daum (Popular web portal in Korea)

http://search.daum.net/search?nil_suggest=btn&nil_ch=&rtupcoll=&w=tot&m=&lpp=&q=%C0%CE%C5%CD%B3%BB%BC%C5%B3%CE+%C5%CD%C4%A1+%BC%AD%BF%EF+

3. Pagoda Academy (Leading language education academy)

http://www.pagoda21.com/customer/news/news_view.jsp?idx=369

4. Seoul Sports Magazine (Published by Seoul Sports Council)

http://www.seoulsports.or.kr/webzine/menu01.php

ITS gets hyped in Bangkok

Woody from the Jeju Mozzies passed thru Seoul en route for his tour home via SE Asia....making the mistake of leaving too early and so missing ITS this year. However, he will be a walking billboard for ITS....bonne voyage.

Publicity for ITS

Attracting the attention of kids here http://www.pagoda21.com/customer/news/news_view.jsp?idx=369
And the business community here
http://www.anzcck.org/news/view.php?sq=59
And generally here
http://korea4expats.com/news-korea-touch-rugby.html
Kepp talking it up!!!

The cavalry have arrived....KMA enter the ITS 2008 tournament!

Will the KMA be the dark horses of this tournament? I hope I'm not revealing a state secret when I tell you that Touch is taught, coached and played at the KMA....our hosts for ITS 2008 are also an elite outfit who have overcome extraordinary competition to get into their school....if I was playing in the men's section, I'd be trembling now.....
Hang on, I am playing in the men's comp!!! Better double the training regime....no more wine until....until....dinner time?

Practice, practice, practice ahead of ITS 2008

Here the Sisters go through their moves versus Princes....this was on the sand pitch at Suwon. We will have two Touch pitches on a similar surface at ITS 2008 and two others on lovely lush grass!! Here's what that looked like last Friday!