Ahn Ji-hyun, an iconic Korean professional sports cheerleader and creator, is heading to the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL).
“Ahn Ji-hyun, a former cheerleader for the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization, will join the cheerleading auditions for the Taikang Hawks, a new team in the Taiwanese professional baseball league, as a trainer,” major Taiwanese media reported on March 18. Taikang is a Taiwanese steel company that started a professional baseball team and is currently competing in the second division. The team is in the process of overhauling its system with the goal of entering the first team next season.
As a way to attract the attention of baseball fans, Taikang is organizing a cheerleading audition project. By December, the team will have trained preliminary cheerleaders and will then partner with a Taiwanese TV station to select the team’s official cheerleaders through an open audition program. Ahn will lead the overall training program for applicants who will participate in the cheerleading auditions.
“In Taiwan, cheerleaders have become a staple of the entertainment industry,” said Hwang Seung-hyun, CEO of Ahn’s local agency, 2S Sporttainment. It is similar to the status of girl groups in the Hallyu,” said Hwang Seung-hyun, CEO of TS Sporttainment, “and several Taiwanese league teams, including Taikang, have expressed interest in Ahn Ji-hyun, one of the top cheerleaders in Korean professional sports.”토토사이트
Ahn debuted as a cheerleader for professional basketball’s Seoul Samsung in 2015 and has since worked as a cheerleader for Seoul SK (basketball), Suwon FC (soccer), and Suwon Hyundai Construction Hillstate (volleyball). In professional baseball, she played for the Nexen Heroes and Lotte Giants, where she gained a thick fan base. Since May, she has also been working as a creator for the esports team Gen.G.
Ahn is the second top Korean cheerleader to make it to Taiwan after Lee Da-hye, who joined the Rakuten Monkeys in 2019. In total, she is the fourth Korean cheerleader to go overseas, including first-generation cheerleaders Park Bo-yeon and Kim Mi-ran, who went to China in 2007.