'Festival of Sports Dreamers' National Youth Sports Festival and Disabled Students Sports Festival Conclude

In 22 Cities and Counties of Jeonnam... Over 22,000 Athletes, the Largest Ever

Customized Operations Stand Out with Various Cultural Events and Youth Expo Connections

The 53rd National Youth Sports Festival and the 18th National Disabled Students Sports Festival, a celebration for aspiring young athletes, were held in Jeonnam for the first time in 15 years and concluded on the 28th amid evaluations as the best-ever festivals tailored to the youth's perspective.

According to Jeonnam Province, the National Youth Sports Festival was held over four days until that day at 50 venues across 22 cities and counties with 36 events, while the National Disabled Students Sports Festival took place over four days until the 17th at 17 venues in 5 cities and counties with 17 events.

A total of about 22,000 athletes participated, boasting the largest scale in history.

Jeonnam Province successfully hosted last year's National Sports Festival and National Disabled Sports Festival, demonstrating its strength as a ‘global sports city’ domestically and internationally, and this year also operated both festivals tailored to the youth, the main protagonists of the events.

The opening ceremony of the National Disabled Students Sports Festival, which kicked off the events, received praise as a new stage that broke the mold of previous ceremonies with performances by the Yeongam Sorim School disabled students dance team, laser and media performances, and a touch-based athlete entrance.

Various cultural events held during the festivals attracted visits from youth athletes, their families, and other visitors.

At Mokpo Peace Plaza, Mokpo Station Plaza, and Muan Namak Central Park, diverse events such as youth busking and an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) mega festival were held. In particular, the 2024 Jeonnam Youth Expo was held in conjunction with the Youth Sports Festival, adding significance to Jeonnam Province’s plan to create a festival that meets the youth’s perspective.

About 1,600 volunteers and over 16,000 local supporters, the main actors of the festivals, also contributed to smooth event operations.

They boosted athletes’ morale by watching and cheering at each venue, maintained order, cleaned the environment, and showed the generous hospitality of the Namdo region.

Jeonnam Province also appointed guidance support officers by city and province to assist the convenience of the athletes both inside and outside the venues. Through thorough preparation and prompt response in all areas including transportation, accommodation, food, medical care, emergency services, and environment, visitor satisfaction was enhanced.

Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok personally visited venues for athletics (Mokpo), roller sports (Naju), badminton (Hwasun), and archery (Suncheon) during the National Youth Sports Festival to encourage athletes and continuously monitor the event situation.

Governor Kim said, “Thanks to the concerted efforts of residents, volunteers, local supporters, and public officials, the festival was successfully held,” adding, “Next year’s National Sports for All Festival will also be successfully hosted with 2 million residents, solidifying our status as a ‘global tourism, culture, and sports city.’”

The 2025 National Sports for All Festival will be held throughout Jeonnam from April 24 to 27, 2025. It is the largest domestic lifestyle sports festival with about 60,000 lifestyle sports club members (as of 2024) participating.

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