Ulsan City to Host the 103rd National Sports Festival ... 1,295 Overseas Korean Athletes from 18 Countries to Participate

Ulsan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] A total of 1,295 overseas Korean athletes from 18 countries will participate in the 103rd National Sports Festival to be held in Ulsan this October.

The country sending the largest delegation is the United States, with 151 athletes and officials participating. Following the U.S. are Australia with 117, Indonesia with 113, Japan with 107, and the Philippines with 88 participants.

Ulsan City has prepared various support measures to ensure that the overseas Korean athletes can participate in the event comfortably and safely, as this is their first visit to their homeland in three years since COVID-19.

Dedicated support teams for each country will be organized to provide services from arrival, accommodation transfer, venue guidance, to departure, ensuring no inconvenience.

Information desks will also be set up at Incheon and Gimhae Airports to assist with arrivals and departures. Additionally, about 1,240 dedicated buses and vans will be mobilized for smooth transportation between airports, accommodations, and venues.

To welcome the homeland visit and encourage the athletes, a welcome banquet hosted by the Mayor of Ulsan will be held on October 11, along with meetings with overseas Korean association leaders to foster fellowship.

A customized city tour for the athletes will also be operated. The selected visit sites, chosen through a prior survey, include Hyundai Motor Company, Taehwagang National Garden, and Daewangam Park.

Furthermore, conveniences such as Wi-Fi installation in accommodations, provision of bottled water and towels, COVID-19 testing upon arrival and departure, self-diagnosis kits, and masks will be provided to support the athletes' convenience and safety.

The local community will also support the overseas Korean athletes both materially and spiritually, conveying the warm spirit of Ulsan.

Since direct accommodation reservations are difficult due to group stays by country, local public institutions and companies have actively contributed by providing accommodations and discounts on lodging fees.

About 500 people from 17 countries will stay at six training facilities including Ulsan City Education Training Center, Jung-gu Eoryeondang, Hyundai Motor Songilgwan, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Training Center, BNK Busan Bank Training Center, and Nonghyup Gyeongju Training Center.

LG Household & Health Care is sponsoring travel kits consisting of shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.

The overseas Korean athletes have also engaged in heartwarming philanthropic activities.

The Philippine team plans to donate 15 million KRW in mango scholarships to 30 children from Filipino multicultural families residing in Ulsan.

Scholarships will also be provided by country to youth athletes striving toward their dreams despite difficult circumstances, including 2 million KRW Samba scholarships from Brazil, 2 million KRW scholarships from the United States, and approximately 1 million KRW perilla leaf scholarships from Germany.

An official from Ulsan City stated, “We will do our best to elevate the overseas Korean athletes' participation beyond just the National Sports Festival to a grand festival of the Korean people encompassing culture, tourism, and economic exchange.”

Overseas Korean athletes first participated in the National Sports Festival in 1972 at the 53rd event, with Korean Americans participating initially, and since 2011, the World Federation of Overseas Korean Sports Associations has been supporting their participation.

In this event, they will compete in eight sports including kendo, bowling, taekwondo, squash, tennis, table tennis, golf, and soccer, engaging in matches between overseas Korean countries.

Some elite athletes will also compete in five individual sports?judo, swimming, athletics, wrestling, and taekwondo?challenging domestic athletes for medals.

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