[Photo News] Pro players mourn Itaewon victims

Professional sports leagues across the country joined the nation in mourning the loss of 154 lives during Saturday night’s deadly crowd surge in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

Prior to the kickoff for game 2 of the 2022 Hana Bank FA Cup finals between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul on Sunday, the players, coaching staff and fans bowed their heads out of respect for victims. The game was won by the eventual champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who took the cup after a 3-1 victory.

Professional basketball teams in both the men's and women's leagues also held a moment of silence to mourn the victims on Monday. Bucheon Hana 1Q cancelled most of its ceremonies for its season opener against Samsung Life Blue Minx at its home court on Monday, with players putting black patches on their uniforms in tribute to the victims.

Other sports leagues across the country followed suit, holding moments of silence and refraining from scattering confetti after wins. They also asked fans to refrain from loud cheering.

Yongin Samsung Life Blue Minx players bow their heads as a show of respect to victims of the deadly crowd surge in Itaewon before the WKBL game against Bucheon Hana 1Q in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. (Yonhap)

Players and coaching staff of Jeonju KCC Egis bow their heads as a show of respect to the victims of the deadly crowd surge in Itaewon before the KBL game against Seoul SK Knights in Jeonju, South Jeolla Province, Monday. (Yonhap)

Players bow their heads as a show of respect to the victims of the deadly crowd surge in Itaewon, prior to game 2 of the 2022 Hana Bank FA Cup finals between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, South Jeolla Province, Sunday. (Yonhap)

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)