"Even people with developmental disabilities can enter the world with open arms through baseball."

Lee Man-soo (66), chairman of the Hulk Foundation, the "first" man in Korean professional baseball, will leave another meaningful footprint in revitalizing sports for the developmentally disabled in Korea.

On May 30, the 3rd Lee Man-soo's Developmentally Disabled T-Ball Baseball Competition will be held at Jeonho Life Baseball Stadium in Singok-ri, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hosted by the Hulk Foundation and organized by the Korea Baseball Softball Association for the Developmentally Disabled, the competition aims to promote social participation and leisure activities of people with developmental disabilities.

The competition is conducted in a T-ball method in which a batter hits a fixed ball without a pitcher. T-ball has the advantage of being able to enjoy it together with the disabled and the non-disabled due to its simple rules.

Chairman Lee Man-soo, who has set numerous "first" records, including his first hit in Korean professional baseball, his first home run, and his first triple crown, is now setting new milestones in sports for the developmentally disabled.스포츠토토

"When I first started the competition, there were a lot of misunderstandings and criticisms about 'Why are you doing that' and 'Isn't it trying to use the disabled?'" he said. "I always believe that if a person does not give up their dream, that dream will come true."

Chairman Lee Man-soo is said to have first seen the T-ball change the lives of people with developmental disabilities in an exhibition game held at Ahwa School in 2022. "The moment I ran and sweated with my friends, their eyes were alive. At that time, the closed door of baseball opened, and a new hope bloomed in it," he recalled.

The slogan of this competition is "Into the world with open arms." It is a symbolic message of the possibility that people with developmental disabilities can blend in with the world.

"People with developmental disabilities are also confident members of our society, and leisure activities and social participation are natural rights for them," Chairman Lee said. "Through this competition, we want to show the possibility that 'people with developmental disabilities can do it' and create a way for everyone to live together."

As the competition continues, more and more people are asking for participation. The mother of a participant said, "I've never seen a child smile like that before," and shed tears.

Chairman Lee Man-soo has rewritten the history of Korean professional baseball with his Hulk-class performance just like his nickname when he was an active player. He joined the pro league as a founding member of the Samsung Lions in 1982 and played for only one team for 16 seasons until 1997, receiving permanent suspension (22). After retirement, he served as Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox bullpen coach SK Wyverns manager.

After stepping down as SK manager in 2014, he has devoted himself to talent donation and volunteer work through baseball. He founded and serves as the owner of the Lao J Brothers baseball team in Laos and is serving as the vice president of the Laos Baseball Association. Since then, he has worked with the goal of expanding his activities to Vietnam and distributing baseball throughout the Indochina Peninsula. As efforts paid off, the Laos national baseball team won its first historic victory at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Chairman Lee Man-soo vowed, "There is nothing easy in the world, but when you start with hope and courage, unexpected miracles happen," adding, "I will run and run with passion until the day T-ball takes root in the developmentally disabled society and changes their lives."