South Korea's young athletic talents are on the move... The 55th National Youth Sports Festival will be held in Busan from May 23 to 26.

*This content was translated by AI.

Future resources of South Korean sports are running toward their dreams. The '55th National Youth Sports Festival,' a festival for South Korea's young athletic talents, will take place in the Busan Metropolitan Area from May 23 to 26.

The National Youth Sports Festival (Youth Sports Festival) is the largest student sports event in the country, aimed at early discovery of promising athletes who will lead the future of South Korean sports and expanding the sports base.

This year's festival is hosted by the Korea Sports Council and co-organized by the Busan Metropolitan Government, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, and the Busan Sports Council. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation.

Athlete delegations from 17 provinces and cities nationwide, totaling approximately 18,000 participants, will compete in 40 sports (27 events for the under-12 division and 40 events for the under-15 division) across 56 venues, including the Busan Asiad Main Stadium. To avoid excessive competition between regions and promote unity, like previous editions, no overall standings or rankings will be determined; only event-specific awards will be presented.

The Korea Sports Council stated, "Under the slogan 'Beyond Spectator Fun to Participatory Fun, Busan is Sports-Rich,' this festival will transform into a celebration of the future, unity, and emotion shared with young sports talents." It further added, "As a competition for student athletes, we have prioritized athlete safety by establishing a reporting system for rapid response in case of accidents, operating safety management checklists for each pre-game and in-game stage, and preparing athlete-centered safe event management plans." The Council also noted, "We will ensure a safe and smooth event through pre-event safety inspections at all venues and on-site inspections at major venues."

Notably, this year's festival will hold an opening ceremony for the first time since 2010, 16 years later, to boost the pride of participating athletes and foster unity as a celebratory event. The opening ceremony will be attended by approximately 500 people, including athlete delegations, and will be held at 6 p.m. on the 22nd, the day before the event begins, at BEXCO (Busan Exhibition and Convention Center) Exhibition Hall 2.

Kim Dae-hyun, the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "We hope this festival becomes a stepping stone for all student athletes to learn the values of challenge and growth through fair competition beyond winning and losing, and to grow as future leaders of South Korean sports." He also stated, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will actively support various sports activities to ensure that children and adolescents in our country can enjoy sports and grow healthily, and will continue to strive to help student athletes harmoniously balance academics and sports."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.