2023 Peace King Cup Highlights World Hunger
“Whoever is concerned about the future must look to the ocean,” wrote True Father in his book, God’s Will and the Ocean. “The future economy of the world, the food problem of the world, and the survival of mankind will be solved by the ocean.”
From May 20 to 26, the 2023 Peace King Cup Fishing Tournament is taking place on the Hudson River and adjacent East River and Raritan Bay in New York. The weeklong tournament, which also commemorates True Parents’ 63rd Holy Wedding Anniversary, has long been instrumental to the movement’s Ocean Providence — a plan to bring widespread peace and unity while preparing people for the ocean era, and building economic and social support for eradicating world hunger.
“True peace will not come as long as humanity does not solve the problem of hunger,” True Father wrote in his bestselling autobiography, As a Peace Loving Global Citizen. “If the person next to me is about to die of hunger, peace is a mere luxury.”
Recognizing fishing as both a solution to hunger and an avenue toward world peace, True Parents initiated their first fishing tournament in 1981, and eventually established the Peace King Cup in 2000. The annual competition has since been held in locations throughout the world, bringing together tens of thousands of participants globally.
Participants of this year’s event, organized by leaders of the New Jersey Ocean Tribe, will be fishing for the biggest striped bass and competing for cash prizes up to $1,500. While the tournament draws competitors of all ages, there has been a surge of interest among young fishers.
“The tournament is about more than just fishing for me,” said one young Unificationist. “True Parents spent a lot of time on the water, and they learned a lot of valuable skills there that I hope to inherit.”
True Parents viewed fishing as a great way to strengthen personal character while developing a heart for nature and the virtues of patience and perseverance. “Learning to be a fisherman is good leadership training,” True Father wrote. “Once a person receives intense training to become a fisherman, he can go anywhere in the world and become a leader of people.”
True Parents also understood that, historically, tournaments and sports events have been effective ways to create harmony, even during times of conflict and tension.
“The children of war-torn countries have gathered together to play soccer and sing songs of peace,” wrote True Father. “[Sports] participants represent [their] own nations ... but during [our] fishing tournaments, we must break down such barriers to create a foundation for peace.”
The Peace King Cup awards ceremony and luncheon will be held May 27 at the Clifton Family Church in New Jersey.
You can sponsor or donate to the tournament, and find more information including registration details here.