Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to visit Division League basketball games... 2027 budget expanded significantly to 47 billion won

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will visit the Division League basketball games held at Yonsei University Gymnasium on the afternoon of the 5th to encourage athletes and officials and listen to voices from the grassroots sports scene.

'Division League' is a grassroots sports league that divides leagues based on competitive levels and promotes promotion and relegation according to performance results.

The purpose is to enable amateur players and citizens to continuously participate in games and compete with each other, while also creating a foundation for excellent grassroots athletes to naturally grow into professional athletes.

This year, a total of 2,461 leagues are being operated across 15 sports, including basketball, with approximately 137,000 grassroots athletes participating.

In terms of sports, football was first introduced in 2017; baseball, billiards, and table tennis were added in 2020; badminton, tennis, and footvolley were included starting in 2022. Basketball, volleyball, handball, and hockey began operations in 2025, while ice hockey, flag football, lacrosse, and cricket were newly added this year.

Notably, since its introduction in 2025, basketball has contributed to expanding the grassroots sports base by attracting participants from various age groups and social classes, including young children, teenagers, adults, women, and seniors.

On this day, the D3 League match, which represents the highest competitive level among Division League basketball games, will be held. Amateur teams 'Up Tempo' and 'More', composed of players in their 30s and 40s, will face off.

Choi (Minister) will meet with officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the Korea Basketball Association before the game to hear on-site opinions and encourage the athletes. The minister is also expected to participate in shooting practice and watch the match.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will significantly expand support for revitalizing the Division League.

The ministry stated that it has set the 2027 budget for operating the Division League at 47 billion won, a 71.3% increase compared to 2026 (27.4 billion won), so that citizens can consistently enjoy sports and showcase their skills close to their daily lives.

Using the increased budget, the ministry plans to expand region-based leagues at the city, county, and district levels and develop customized leagues that allow participation from diverse groups such as young children, teenagers, seniors, and women.

The ministry also intends to add new sports categories and hold 'King of Kings' tournaments for each sport to raise national interest and participation enthusiasm.

Additionally, the ministry will promote artificial intelligence transformation (AX) in the sports field by utilizing game and activity data accumulated from grassroots sports scenes.

The AI-based game analysis system, which was proactively introduced in volleyball in 2025, will be expanded to conduct technology development and data accumulation starting in 2027, with plans to apply it to eight major sports including football, baseball, billiards, table tennis, badminton, tennis, footvolley, and basketball by 2029.

Choi Hwi-yeong (Minister) stated, "The Division League is not just a one-time event but a solid foundation for grassroots sports where amateur players can consistently train and improve their skills," adding, "We will continue to expand support for the Division League and other grassroots sports fields so that more citizens can enjoy sports near their homes and fully showcase their abilities."

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*This content was translated by AI.