[By NBC-1TV S. A Lee]Choo Shinsoo, a Korean baseball player playing for the Texas Rangers in the American Major League Baseball, has been appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
The 2014 Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee (IAGOC) has revealed the news on March 3, which marks the D-200 countdown to the opening of the 2014 Asian Games. “Choo Shinsoo is one of the most successful sportsmen from Korea and one of the most successful Asian players in the Major League Baseball. We believe he is an ideal star to promote the Asian Games to all the people in Asia, and we are thrilled to have him as the Goodwill Ambassador of the 2014 Asian Games,” said the IAGOC statement.
Mr. Choo accepted the appointment as the Goodwill Ambassador at the Texas Rangers spring camp in Surprise, Arizona. “I am honored to be appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games,” he said. “I would have loved to play in the Asian Games once again, but unfortunately, the MLB season schedule conflicts with the Asian Games. It was a great experience to win the gold medal in Guangzhou in 2010, and even though I cannot participate this time, I wish all the success to the Korean national team to win the gold medal in Incheon for the second time in a row.”
Mr. Choo won the gold medal in 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games as a member of the Korean team. He has been playing in the MLB since 2006, first with the Seattle Mariners, then successively with the Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds. In the last season with the Reds, Choo achieved the landmark record of 21 home runs, 20 steals, 107 runs, and 112 four balls. After the 2013 season, he became a free agent and signed a contract with the Texas Rangers for $130 million for 7 years.