Pyongyang Cup - The first mixed international hockey tournament in NORTH KOREA (May, 2020)

[ThePyongyangCup 1]

We are hosting the FIRST international mixed team hockey tournament in North Korea and we want you to come play with us. Spectators and coaches also welcome.  

https://inertianetwork.com/pyongyang-cup

I know North Korea is a touchy subject, so hear me out. Our objective here is to connect regular folks from North Korea and the International community through hockey. This program is a hockey tournament designed as a social experiment. We are a Canadian team, and have been creating projects with North Koreans for over 10 years, and have been into the country over 80 times in total. This includes everything from university exchanges, filming documentaries, and now launching a hockey tournament. 

This is a non-political event and will not have direct political interference from the North Korean government. This event has been approved by the North Korean Ministry of Sports. The Canadian government is also aware of this program. 

Dates: May 2-11, 2020

Cost: $2500 USD First 20 early bird, $2900 USD subsequent - all expenditures from the moment of arrival and departure are included (food, accommodation, transportation, etc.) 

Arrival and Departure Point: Shenyang, China

Structure: Four team double elimination. 7 games + 1 redemption game.

Teams: Mixed North Korean and Western teams. Teams will be drafted during tryouts on Day 2 in Pyongyang by our Canadian and North Korean hockey coaches. Each team will cap at a maximum of 20 players. Each team will have multiple translators and a Canadian team liaison/manager to make sure things go smoothly. 

Skill Expectation: Intermediate rec-league and above. The North Koreans participating will be from the men's and women's national teams who are in Division II in the IIHF. They are comparable to strong beer league players. 

Itinerary: This tournament is a 10-day visit to North Korea. The itinerary can be roughly broken down into 30% hockey, 30% cultural exchanges, and 30% tourism activities. Please see our website for the full itinerary: https://inertianetwork.com/pyongyang-cup

Restrictions: This program is not open to American, South Korean, Israeli, or Japanese passport holders. Dual citizens with a passport from other countries may register.

Safety: We are a Canadian team, and have operated within North Korea for over 10 years. We will be providing in-depth safety briefings prior to the event, and we expect you to not do anything that you wouldn't do at home. You should expect to be perfectly safe unless you are explicitly breaking rules. This may include theft, assault, and wandering into restricted spaces. Use your common sense while in the country.

 

So, who's in for a hockey adventure?

Edited October 21, 2019 by ThePyongyangCup

[Giltis 116]

This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. 

I'm not a SK passport holder, but I was born in Seoul, so it'd be a bit iffy for me to participate.

Would it somehow be possible for a jersey exchange with DPRK players even if we don't go? It would be pretty cool to show up in my Beer League with a jersey from DPRK.

[ThePyongyangCup 1]

 

 

 

1

4 hours ago, Giltis said:

This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. 

I'm not a SK passport holder, but I was born in Seoul, so it'd be a bit iffy for me to participate.

Would it somehow be possible for a jersey exchange with DPRK players even if we don't go? It would be pretty cool to show up in my Beer League with a jersey from DPRK.

Don't worry about being born in Seoul. North Koreans actually love it when South Koreans visit. Korean people are historically one group of people so when Koreans from abroad visit they treat them like long lost relatives coming back home. Two members of our team are Korean. We also filmed a hockey documentary about the DPRK Men's hockey team if you're curious: https://www.closingthegaphockey.com/

We won't be able to get you DPRK Jerseys since they receive them all from the IIHF, but we will be making our own jerseys for the tournament for all participants. 

If you're interested, feel free to send me an email at travel@inertianetwork.com and we can talk more. I'd be happy to tell you all about this program and answer any questions over a phone call