Mayor Joo Kwangdeok: "Promoting the Bukhangang River Widely... Firmly Establishing the 'Center of Water Leisure Sports'"

Water Sports Race on the Bukhangang River
Namyangju Mayor's Water Leisure Sports Competition Concludes Successfully

Namyangju City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Joo Kwangdeok) announced on November 5 that the 19th Namyangju Mayor's Water Leisure Sports Competition, held over three days from October 31 to November 2 along the Bukhangang River in Hwado-eup and Joan-myeon, concluded successfully.

Namyangju City is hosting the 19th Namyangju Mayor's Water Leisure Sports Competition, held over three days from October 31 to November 2 along the Bukhangang River in Hwado-eup and Joan-myeon. Photo by Namyangju City

The competition began with the opening ceremony on October 31, followed by the preliminary rounds on November 1, and the finals and awards ceremony on November 2. Following last year's event, which was marked by passionate enthusiasm despite heavy rain, this year’s competition filled the Bukhangang River with the passion of 264 athletes and the cheers of spectators, even in cold weather.

All matches were filmed from multiple angles using drones and boat cameras, vividly capturing the dynamic performances of the athletes.

This year's competition featured three categories: water skiing, wakeboarding, and wakesurfing, with a total of 22 winners. Notable winners include Seo Changhun (men’s freestyle slalom, water skiing), Lee Bitna (women’s freestyle slalom, water skiing), Lee Seobin (youth freestyle slalom, water skiing), Seo Seonggwang (men’s advanced, wakeboarding), Kang Jiae (women’s advanced, wakeboarding), Jeong Suho (youth advanced, wakeboarding), Lee Dongmin (men’s open, wakesurfing), Moon Juhui (women’s open, wakesurfing), and An Sojeong (youth open, wakesurfing).

In particular, the commentary team, which included former national athletes, engaged with the audience and provided easy-to-understand explanations of technical skills, enhancing the enjoyment of the event and further establishing it as a "sport to be enjoyed together."

Joo Kwangdeok, Mayor of Namyangju City, is delivering a greeting at the "19th Namyangju Mayor's Water Leisure Sports Competition" held over three days from October 31 to November 2 along the Bukhangang River in Hwado-eup and Joan-myeon. Provided by Namyangju City

This year’s event gained added significance as a "festival created together," thanks to the voluntary sponsorship of local water ski and board equipment shops and nearby businesses, with everyone coming together to contribute to the competition’s success.

Mayor Joo Kwangdeok stated, "We expect this competition to greatly contribute to expanding the base of water leisure sports and to widely promoting the beauty of the Bukhangang River, thereby firmly establishing our image as a 'center of water leisure sports.'

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