A festival for university taekwondo practitioners worldwide opens in Daegu on the 4th... '26 countries, 930 participants including Jang Jun and Yang Hee-chan'

*This content was translated by AI.

The festival for university taekwondo practitioners worldwide will take place next month on the 4th in Daegu.

The 'Daegu 2026 World University Taekwondo Festival,' a gathering for unity and exchange among university taekwondo practitioners worldwide, will be held for four days from July 4 to 7 at Kyungpook National University's Seoseo Campus in Daegu.

The Daegu World University Taekwondo Festival, marking its third year, has established itself as a representative international university taekwondo festival. Since its inaugural event in 2024, the number of participating countries and the scale of participation have continued to expand, developing into an international platform to enhance the international competitiveness of university taekwondo athletes worldwide and expand global exchange.

This event is co-hosted by the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) and the International University Sports Federation (FISU), and organized by the Daegu 2026 World University Taekwondo Festival Organizing Committee and the Daegu Metropolitan City Taekwondo Association. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Daegu Metropolitan City, with Kyungpook National University, the Korea Taekwondo Association, and the Korean University Taekwondo Federation participating as cooperating institutional investors.

Especially, this event is significant in that it presents a new global sports festival model that integrates sports, culture, and advanced technology, going beyond a simple international sports competition. It is prepared as an international sports exchange platform where university athletes worldwide share values of competition, friendship, unity, and peace through taekwondo, and as a global platform to jointly explore the development potential of the future sports industry and cultural content.

Athletes and officials from 26 countries worldwide, including Asian nations such as South Korea, China, Uzbekistan, India, and the Philippines; European nations such as France, the Czech Republic, and Germany; North American nations such as Canada; Oceania nations such as Australia; and African nations such as Morocco, have completed their registration for the event. Especially this year, Guadeloupe, a French overseas island territory in the Caribbean, is participating for the first time, leading to evaluations that the event's international status and global network have been further expanded.

The total number of participants, including those in the Rope Challenge and cultural experience programs and the opening ceremony, is expected to reach approximately 2,000.

Top-ranked world athletes are also set to compete in this event, promising high-level competition.

In the sparring (G1) category, Jang Jun (world ranking 4th) in the men's -68kg division, Yang Hee-chan (world ranking 10th) in the men's -58kg division, and Kim Ga-hyun (world ranking 29th) in the women's -57kg division will compete. In the poomsae (G1) category, Seo Chae-won (domestic ranking 2nd) in the women's under-30 official poomsae division and Hana Lee of the Czech Republic (world ranking 24th) will participate. In free poomsae, men's competitors include Kang Tae-jun (world ranking 15th), Lee Jin-ho (world ranking 17th), and Kai-Hsin CHANG of Canada (world ranking 19th), while women's competitors include Kim Ji-hyun (world ranking 9th), Rachel LEE of Canada (world ranking 21st), and Lee Ju-young (world ranking 25th), all set to showcase world-class skills.

The opening ceremony will be held on the first day of the event, July 4, in the afternoon at the gymnasium of Kyungpook National University's Seoseo Campus, attended by key figures from the global taekwondo community and the domestic sports sector. The opening ceremony will be attended by WT President Cho Jung-won, Kyungpook National University President Shin Il-hee Jo Jik-wi (Director), National Assembly Member Yoo Young-ha, Daegu Metropolitan Mayor Choi Kyung-ho, along with major figures and officials from the domestic and international taekwondo community including the World Taekwondo Federation (WT), the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the Korea Taekwondo Association, the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation, and the Kukkiwon, to celebrate the opening of the world university taekwondo festival.

The opening ceremony will proceed with the introduction of participating countries, the opening declaration, welcome speeches and congratulatory remarks, athlete and Shim Pan (CEO) oaths, and celebratory performances, starting with a special demonstration of Virtual Taekwondo, which was recently adopted as an official sport at the Summer Asian Games. The Virtual Taekwondo demonstration utilizing virtual reality (VR) technology is expected to become a symbolic stage showcasing the fusion of traditional sports like taekwondo and advanced technology, presenting new possibilities for taekwondo as future sports content.

The competition will be conducted in accordance with the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) international competition rules, featuring sparring (G1), official poomsae (G1), free poomsae (G1), and official poomsae Division 2 and 3 events. Participating athletes will compete while vying for the honor of their nations and universities, while also experiencing the world university taekwondo festival that fosters international exchange and friendship.

During the event period, various programs will be operated allowing participants to experience both taekwondo and Korean culture.

At 'Hanhakchon,' a traditional cultural space created by Kyungpook National University to commemorate its 50th anniversary, programs for Korean traditional culture and hanbok experiences will be held for overseas athlete delegations. Additionally, in K-POP dance classes participated in by Kyungpook National University students, participants will learn the choreography for BTS's representative song 'Dynamite' together, creating a platform for global cultural exchange.

This event is expected to contribute not only to enhancing the international competitiveness of university taekwondo athletes worldwide and expanding international exchange, but also to improving the brand value of Daegu as an international sports city and revitalizing the local economy. It is also expected to serve as an opportunity to present a new international sports event model that links sports, culture, tourism, and advanced technology industries centered on taekwondo.

Jeong Byeong-gi, the executive secretary general (professor at the Taekwondo Department of Kyungpook National University) who is in charge of overall preparations for this festival, stated, "The Daegu World University Taekwondo Festival, held for the third time this year, is a platform for competition, exchange, and unity among university taekwondo practitioners worldwide, and a global platform presenting new future values for taekwondo." He added, "Especially this year, through Virtual Taekwondo and K-culture programs, we will showcase a new global sports festival model where traditional sports, future technology, and cultural content are integrated."

He continued, "This festival is most significant in that young university students from countries around the world understand each other and build friendships through taekwondo, sharing values of unity, healing, and peace beyond competition." He expressed hope that "the world, which is experiencing wounds from conflict and war, will take a small step toward creating a future of healing and peace together through the exchange and solidarity of the younger generation through taekwondo."

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*This content was translated by AI.