The 101st National Sports Festival Likely to Be Postponed for the First Time... Gyeongbuk Province Requests Government for Delay

Canceled Due to War but Never Postponed
Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: "Decisions Made After Gathering Opinions on Next Host Location"

Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo raising the need to postpone the National Sports Festival at the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting' held on the 10th.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] "Considering the unprecedented serious situation and the aspirations of local residents, a one-year postponement is necessary to ensure the National Sports Festival can be held normally."

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, who is in charge of this year's National Sports Festival, proposed a one-year postponement of the "101st National Sports Festival" to the government during a video conference of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters chaired by the Prime Minister on the morning of the 10th.

He requested the rapid judgment of quarantine authorities such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to make a swift decision based on this. Although the National Sports Festival in Korea, which marks its 101st edition this year, has been canceled during wartime, it has never been postponed. The cancellations occurred during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1938?44) and the first year of the Korean War in 1950.

Regarding this, Oh Young-woo, the 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, responded, "The safety of the public and athletes is the top priority. We will gather opinions from quarantine authorities, the host cities and provinces of the next games, the Korean Sports Council, and other related organizations to coordinate accordingly," according to Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Gyeongsangbuk-do explained that Governor Lee’s proposal reflects the aspirations of the citizens of Daegu and Gyeongbuk, the areas most affected by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), to hold the National Sports Festival normally through a one-year postponement, aiming for national unity, overcoming the crisis, and economic recovery.

In the case of Gumi City, the central host city of this year’s National Sports Festival, the departure of large corporations and reduction in jobs have caused prolonged economic stagnation and difficulties throughout the local community, but there was also growing expectation that the normal hosting of the National Sports Festival would become a new turning point for regional development.

A Gyeongsangbuk-do official emphasized the need to postpone the festival, saying, "There is a high possibility of a second wave of infectious disease in October this year, and consistent warnings indicate that the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments within the year is uncertain. We must consider that since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 32nd Tokyo Olympics as well as various international sports events have been postponed."

Meanwhile, this year’s National Sports Festival is scheduled to be held from October 8 to 14 over seven days at 71 venues across 12 cities and counties including Gumi Citizens’ Stadium, with about 30,000 participants from 17 cities and provinces and 18 overseas Korean athlete delegations. The National Sports Festival locations for the coming years have already been decided in the order of Ulsan (2021), Mokpo in Jeollanam-do (2022), Gimhae in Gyeongnam (2023), and Busan (2024).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.