Haenam-gun Heats Up with Enthusiasm for Winter Training Camps

National Track and Field Candidate Team and Dream Tree Athletes, Over 150 Members Training Abroad

Goal to Host 30,000 Athletes for Winter Training, Revitalizing Local Economy

In Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, where the 2023-2024 winter season training camps are in full swing, more than 150 national team candidate athletes and promising young athletes leading the future of Korean sports have visited Haenam.

According to the county on the 12th, the athletes, who began training on the 4th, are focusing on track and field jumping and middle- and long-distance events, choosing Haenam once again as their winter training site following last year.

The team's sports instructor said, “Haenam offers well-equipped sports facilities, warm weather, and abundant hospitality, making it a place where training results exceed expectations,” adding, “Athletes who developed their skills in Haenam during last winter season have advanced to the world stage, so we have high hopes for this training as well.”

Track and field jumpers and middle- and long-distance runners are conducting their winter training in Haenam again this year, following last year.
[Photo by Haenam-gun]

Since last November, starting with the national wheelchair fencing team, Haenam-gun has hosted 344 athletes from 17 teams across athletics, soccer, fencing, and other sports through winter training camps.

Currently, in addition to the national team candidate athletes, about 600 athletes from soccer, basketball, baseball, and other sports are staying in Haenam. Upcoming winter training camps are planned for various sports including modern pentathlon, baseball, fencing, kendo, and wrestling, and rehabilitation camps will also be operated during January and February.

Haenam-gun is expected to attract about 30,000 participants from approximately 140 teams across 12 sports including athletics, fencing, basketball, and wrestling during this winter season.

The continuous visits of winter training teams to Haenam-gun are due to the concentration of state-of-the-art sports facilities centered around Useul Sports Park, providing athletes with an environment where they can efficiently focus on training.

In particular, Haenam-gun has received great acclaim by supporting athletes to maximize training effects through new sports marketing strategies for each sport every year.

This year, Takashi Komatsu, a renowned Japanese junior national team athletics coach, was invited to provide technical guidance to the athletics candidate athletes, and various training equipment was installed at the Athletics Training Center to establish a one-stop training system, drawing attention.

Additionally, the rehabilitation camp operated during the training period has five professional trainers on site to provide high-quality rehabilitation services.

Through winter training in Haenam-gun, the rehabilitation camp focuses on improving physical strength that can be maintained throughout the season and skill recovery through rehabilitation training, offering a higher level of rehabilitation services.

Athletes are undergoing winter training at Haenam Useul Gymnasium.
Photo by Haenam-gun

The attraction of training teams is also bringing a positive impact to the local economy. For long-term training lasting from 30 to 90 days, athletes stay within Haenam-gun, using local accommodations and restaurants, providing a significant boost to the local economy during the winter off-season.

Starting this year, Haenam-gun is revitalizing the region by combining sports and tourism through spo-tour programs. About half of the teams visiting during the winter season have participated in local tours within Haenam, such as Ttangkkeut and the Dinosaur Fossil Site, and have enhanced the regional image through unique local programs like sweet potato bread-making experiences.

Targeting the special interest of athletes in healthy food management, Haenam-gun plans to use local agricultural and marine products such as Haenam sweet potatoes, seaweed, and napa cabbage as a medium to revitalize the local economy by linking their sales.

A player from a university basketball team visiting Haenam said, “When we come to Haenam-gun, it feels like being part of the best professional team. The special care and attention to the team allow us to focus solely on training,” adding, “Along with effective training, the fun programs during rest time make it a place I want to visit again.”

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan said, “Sports marketing, a clean industry without chimneys, plays a major role not only in improving the regional image but also in revitalizing the local economy, receiving full support from local residents,” and added, “We will accelerate infrastructure development such as the construction of Haenam Sports Park and make further efforts to operate high-quality winter training programs.”

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