Busan National Sports Festival Welcomes 1,512 Overseas Korean Athletes from 18 Countries
Busan City Operates Country-Specific Support Teams
Approximately 1,500 members of overseas Korean sports organizations participated in the 106th National Sports Festival, which opened in Busan. This is the largest turnout since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced that 1,512 athletes from overseas Korean sports organizations in 18 countries are taking part in the 106th National Sports Festival, which begins on October 17.
This year’s participation is the largest in the 2020s and marks the highest number of overseas athletes in the past four years. In comparison, 1,331 athletes participated in Ulsan in 2022, 1,475 in Jeonnam in 2023, and 1,478 in Gyeongnam in 2024.
The overseas Korean sports teams have been arriving in Busan since October 14 and will stay for 11 days until October 24, competing in 15 different sports. The overseas Korean division will compete in eight events: football, tennis, bowling, golf, table tennis, squash, taekwondo, and kendo. Some athletes will also participate in the general division, competing against local teams in swimming, judo, weightlifting, boxing, shooting, the 100m track event, and wrestling.
Among the 18 overseas Korean sports organizations, the team from the United States is the largest with 167 athletes, followed by Japan (158), Indonesia (147), and Australia (142).
Since October 14, the city has been operating country-specific support teams consisting of about 230 city officials to help athletes focus on their competitions. These teams provide comprehensive assistance, including guiding athletes during the opening ceremony, helping with accommodations, and supporting transportation. On October 18, the day after the opening ceremony, city officials will visit each team’s accommodations to offer a welcome greeting, and on October 21, a welcome banquet will be held to encourage the athletes.
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Son Taeuk, Director of Sports at Busan Metropolitan Government, said, “I would like to thank all the athletes from overseas Korean sports organizations who have come to their homeland to participate in the National Sports Festival. We will do our best to make this event, held in Busan for the first time in 25 years, a festival of unity.”
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