For the first time in 51 years, Chungbuk Namseong Middle School and Gyeongbuk Gyeongsan Middle School share the championship at the National Youth Sports Festival after a tense 12-12 draw.

*This content was translated by AI.

Gyeongbuk Gyeongsan Middle School and Chungbuk Namseong Middle School shared the championship at the National Youth Sports Festival.

The Korea Rugby Union announced on the 28th that the "55th National Youth Sports Festival," held for four days from May 23 to 26 at Samnak Ecological Park in Sasang-gu, Busan, has concluded.

Hosted by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and organized by the Busan Metropolitan City Government, the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, and the Busan Sports Council, the event was supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, and the National Sports Promotion Foundation. Teams from 12 cities and provinces under Do Reul (CEO) participated in the tournament, which was played under the 12th-a-side format.

In the 12th-team tournament, Daegu (Pyongri Middle School) defeated Incheon (Bupyeong Middle School), Gwangju (Gwangju Mujeon Middle School) defeated Jeonbuk (Iribuk Middle School), and Chungnam (Cheonan Busung Middle School) defeated Gyeonggi (Ilsandong Middle School). Gyeongbuk (Gyeongsan Middle School) defeated Jeonnam (Jindo Middle School) to advance to the quarterfinals.

Subsequently, Daegu (Pyongri Middle School) defeated Busan (Yeongdo Jeil Middle School), Chungbuk (Namseong Middle School) defeated Gwangju (Gwangju Mujeon Middle School), Seoul (Seoul National UniversityMiddle School) defeated Chungnam (Cheonan Busung Middle School), and Gyeongbuk (Gyeongsan Middle School) defeated Daejeon (Daejeon Gayang Middle School) to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, Chungbuk (Namseong Middle School) defeated Daegu (Pyongri Middle School) 17-12, and Gyeongbuk (Gyeongsan Middle School) defeated Seoul (Seoul National UniversityMiddle School) 23-22 in a close match to advance to the final.

In the final, Chungbuk (Namseong Middle School) and Gyeongbuk (Gyeongsan Middle School) fought a fierce battle, ending in a 12-12 tie to share the championship. This marks the first time since the 4th National Youth Sports Festival held in 1975 that a shared championship has been awarded in the rugby event at the National Youth Sports Festival.

Gyeongbuk (Gyeongsan Middle School) returned to the top for the first time since the 48th National Youth Sports Festival in 2019, seven years later, while Chungbuk (Namseong Middle School) celebrated its first-ever National Youth Sports Festival championship since its founding.

The Korea Rugby Union stated, "We thank all tournament officials who operated the event with the utmost priority on the safety of the athletes. We also extend our deepest gratitude to all participating teams from cities and provinces under Do (CEO), who were the stars of the tournament and delivered wonderful matches. We hope this event served as a meaningful stage to witness the future of Korean rugby and provided valuable experiences for young athletes."

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*This content was translated by AI.