*This content was translated by AI.
The Korean Sports Council announced on the 3rd that it will hold the '30th Korea-Japan Youth Sports Exchange Invitation Event' in Daejeon Metropolitan City for six days through the 7th.
According to the Korean Sports Council, the Korea-Japan Youth Sports Exchange, which began in 1997 and marks its 30th year this year, is an exchange program that provides elementary and middle school athletes from South Korea and Japan with opportunities for international sports competition experience and cultural immersion. It has been operated annually on a rotating basis between the two countries through invitation and dispatch formats.
This Daejeon invitation event will see a total of 436 participants, including 218 athletes from Mie Prefecture and Hyogo Prefecture in Japan visiting Daejeon, Republic of Korea, along with delegations from both nations and headquarters officials.
Participating youth athletes are scheduled to compete in joint training sessions, practice matches, and official games across five sports: soccer, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and badminton, showcasing their skills and building friendships. In addition to competitions, cultural exchange sessions will be held where participants visit major cultural and tourist sites in Daejeon together to gain a deeper understanding of each other's cultures.
Notably, the second day of the event, on the 3rd, featured a special welcome reception commemorating the 30th anniversary of the exchange. The program included screenings of commemorative videos documenting three decades of sports exchange and friendship between the two nations, as well as a cake-cutting ceremony, reaffirming commitments to the continued development of youth exchanges in the future.
Following this invitation event, the Korean delegation plans to participate in the dispatch event held from August 16 to 21 in Mie Prefecture, Japan, where they will continue sports and cultural exchanges with local youth.
Yoo Seung-min, President of the Korean Sports Council, stated, "Through this 30th edition of the exchange, we hope that youth from both countries will create unforgettable memories through sports and gain valuable experiences to move forward into a larger world." He added, "The Korean Sports Council will continue to strive for expanding exchanges between youth from both nations in the future."
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*This content was translated by AI.
