KOREA may have lost on Sunday night against Gilas Pilipinas, but the team gained the respect of organizers in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Pampanga with their admirable gesture after the game.
A photo tweeted by Aldo Tong showed Korea's squeaky clean dugout at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) Sports and Cultural Center, moments after their farewell match in the Clark bubble.
'Thank you, Philippines'
“Thank you Philippines from Korea,” wrote Tong, who has been posting photos from inside the Clark bubble during the qualifiers. “Despite the loss, no hard feelings.”
The nice gesture is similar to those seen in the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia from Japan, which also left its locker room spotless after it was eliminated by Belgium in the group stage.
The Japan squad even left a thank you message to the World Cup hosts in a gesture that resonated around the world.
In Korea's case, it proved that what happened on the court stayed there, after Korea suffered two close defeats Gilas Pilipinas and its coach Cho Sang Hyun ruffled feathers for his post-match statements.
Still, it was mission accomplished for Korea, which qualified for the Fiba Asia Cup as the runner-up of their group behind unbeaten Philippines following victories over Indonesia and Thailand.
Korea now shifts its focus to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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