The opening ceremony of the ’31st Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Resident Sports Competition’, the largest festival of Gangwon’s sports people, was held at Yanggu Sports Complex on the 15th.
This competition, hosted by the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Sports Council and jointly organized by the Yanggu County Sports Council and the provincial member sports organizations, will be held in the Yanggu Sports Complex for three days until the 17th under the slogan ‘Run Yanggu Youth, Bloom Gangwon Sports’. It is the first sports festival held in Yanggu in 19 years since 2004, and the first sports festival for residents since the launch of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province.
From this day, 7,866 athletes (1,845 executives, 6,021 players) from 18 cities and counties in the province will participate in 22 official sports, including track and field, swimming, soccer, baseball, tennis, basketball, and table tennis, and 3 sports, including taekwondo, ground golf, and park golf. They will compete with their honed skills in a total of 26 sports, including demonstration sports and exhibition sports such as drones.
At the opening ceremony, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Kim Jin-tae, National Assembly members Han Ki-ho and Noh Yong-ho, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Council Chairman Kwon Hyuk-yeol, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Superintendent of Education Shin Gyeong-ho, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Sports Council President Yang Hee-gu, Gangwon Citizens’ Association President Kim Cheon-soo, Gangwon Citizens’ Ilbo Vice President Kyung Min-hyun, Yanggu County Mayor Seo Heung-won, Yanggu County Chairman Park Gwi-nam, Yanggu County Sports Chairman Yoon Jong-ho, and others attended.
The official event started with the entrance of the city and county flags, followed by the national ceremony, the opening declaration by County Sports Chairman Jong-ho Yoon, the hoisting of the competition flag, the opening congratulatory performance, the welcome speech, the competition speech, the congratulatory speech, and finally the players’ pledges.
In his welcoming speech, Mayor Seo Heung-won said, “As over 7,000 athletes and executives from each city and county are visiting, we have done our best to prepare the infrastructure for the competition.” He added, “This competition will be an opportunity for all of you, the daily sports players in the province, to unite and form friendships through sports.” “I hope it will be a one-day festival that solidifies the future. We promise to run the competition comfortably so that you can return with a good impression of Yanggu,” he said.
Yang Hee-gu, president of the Provincial Sports Council, said in his speech at the event, “This competition is being held in a grand manner under the new name of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Sports Competition. I am confident that Gangwon Sports will also become more special as we enter the era of special autonomy.” He continued, “Finally, I hope that the enthusiasm and energy of this competition will lead to the successful hosting of the 2023 Gangwon World Forest Expo, which is just a week away, and the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, which will be held in 16 days.”스포츠토토
Governor Kim Jin-tae said, “Last year, in Samcheok, where the competition was held, I promised to increase the budget for sports competitions by 30%. Now, a year has passed, and we have increased it to 37%, which is more than that. But I don’t think you will realize it,” and “We have changed our strategy. “I have been attending the Governor’s Life Sports Competition regularly these days, but there is no prize money for the competition. So, we will create a new prize money for the Governor’s Life Sports Competition to be held starting next year,” he said.
Provincial Chairman Kwon Hyeok-yeol said, “This Sports Festival, which marks its 31st anniversary, will go beyond a simple sports competition and become a place for festivals where everyone can gather together. I also think it will be a powerful driving force to take the Special Self-Governing Province to the next level.” “The Provincial Council revised the Sports Promotion Ordinance in July of last year and became the first in the country to mandate support for sports operating expenses. We will continue to do our best to expand sports facilities and expand the base of daily sports so that all residents of the province can lead healthy lives,” he said.
Provincial Superintendent of Education Shin Gyeong-ho said, “This competition is a festival for the residents of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. It can also be said to be a venue for dialogue and agreement among the residents of the province, held after Gangwon-do’s special start last June.” “I hope that you will gain a valuable sense of accomplishment by fully demonstrating your skills. I wish good luck to everyone who participated along with the Gangwon Education Family,” he said.
National Assembly member Han Ki-ho said, “I hope that everyone who came here today will be safe until they leave after the game.”
Next, a pledge was made by representatives of athletes, expressing their desire to successfully host the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, which is 126 days away, and their willingness to actively participate. The oath was taken by Park Gwang-soon and Choi Bo-yoon, who represented Yanggu-gun in the swimming event, representing the participating athletes. The Gangwon Special Self-Governing City and County Sports Council (Chairman Sangha Kim) contributed to the success of the 2023 Gangwon World Forest Expo by purchasing 20 million won in tickets.
The official event ended with a theme performance by the Chuncheon Youth Choir to celebrate the opening of the competition. The after-dinner event included celebratory performances by popular singers such as Park Ji-hyun, Yang Ji-eun, and Jin Hye-jin, as well as Yanggu-gun’s first drone light show.