"Goseong Heats Up as the 'Mecca of Off-Season Training' with Nationwide Teams Flocking for Winter Camps"

262 Teams Across 9 Sports, Over 6,300 Participants
Ssireum and Baseball Boost Local Economy Through Extended Stays

Winter in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, begins with sound. At the soccer field, commands echo, while the baseball field rings with the crisp sound of bats striking balls.

In the ssireum and weightlifting arenas, athletes' heavy breathing scrapes the floor. The sports may differ, but the goal is the same. Across Goseong County, athletes are simultaneously training to elevate their performance in 2026.

Goseong County has designated the period from November 2, 2025, to March 31, 2026, as the winter training season. Training venues include the Sports Town area, Donggoseong Sports Park, and Geryu Sports Park, among others.

Baseball team training in winter in Goseong.

This season, Goseong is hosting teams in nine sports-baseball, swimming, weightlifting, soccer, taekwondo, ssireum, basketball, archery, and track and field-with a total of 262 teams and more than 6,300 participants. The phrase "Goseong is the place for winter training" is once again proven by the numbers.

The energy on-site has been high from the very beginning. As of mid-January 2026, 110 teams and over 2,400 athletes have come to Goseong to focus on their training. In particular, during the third week of January, the arrival of core sports such as soccer, ssireum, baseball, and weightlifting all at once significantly increased the intensity.

Soccer is the sport that keeps Goseong warm throughout the winter. By mid-January, 36 teams and more than 1,400 athletes had already visited Goseong. Following elementary school team training last week, high school teams are joining in earnest this week, further raising the enthusiasm.

Baseball’s "facility competitiveness" is what brings teams back. Currently, Gimhae High School from the Gyeongnam region is holding its training in Goseong until January 25, and Sewon High School from the Gyeonggi region is also undergoing off-season training here. The Gimhae High School baseball team, led by Coach Oh Sungmin, began its winter training last week and chose Goseong after participating in the KBO Academy last year.

The Gimhae High School coach said, "With two baseball fields and an indoor practice facility, the training infrastructure is excellent, enabling highly focused training. The athletes are very satisfied, which is why we decided to return."

Goseong County has also announced large-scale training sessions and a "stove league" for February. An elementary school baseball stove league with nine teams and a middle school league with eight teams are scheduled, so baseball training in Goseong is expected to expand further.

Ssireum is the "central pillar" of Goseong’s winter training this year. As of the third week of January, 60 teams and more than 700 athletes are staying in Goseong, sweating it out every day without a break.

Ssireum wrestlers training in Goseong.

Like soccer and baseball, which have large team sizes, ssireum is also recognized for its significant contribution to the local economy through extended stays. The use of accommodations and restaurants is spread out, bringing warmth to the entire local business community.

Goseong County systematically manages elementary and high school ssireum teams and, thanks to its efforts to expand the sport’s base, develop elite athletes, and invest in the sport, is evaluated as having nationwide competitiveness in ssireum.

Taekwondo will round out the latter part of the winter. In February alone, 27 taekwondo teams with 412 participants are scheduled to come to Goseong for intensive training. As each sport’s training schedule continues, Goseong’s "winter sports training map" is becoming even more robust.

Jeon Inkwan, Head of the Sports Industry Division, stated, "Goseong County is meticulously managing everything from sports facility operations to accommodation and convenience to ensure athletes can focus solely on training. We will continue to actively incorporate the needs of participating teams and coaches, continuously improve our training infrastructure, and make Goseong a city that athletes want to return to-a place where the longer you stay, the more satisfied you become."

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