The ‘2023 National Badminton Team Award Ceremony’ held in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province in December last year. Korea Badminton Association
Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, is emerging as a new mecca for Korean badminton. Currently, various competitions are being actively held, and work on establishing business and university teams is also progressing rapidly.
The Korea Badminton Association will hold the ‘2024 Korea Badminton Association Long-Term National Badminton Competition’ in Seosan-si, South Chungcheong Province until the 22nd. It is a large-scale competition with a total of 152 teams, including 56 men’s middle school teams, 27 women’s middle school teams, 45 men’s high school teams, and 24 women’s high school teams, with 813 players and 220 coaches.
This competition started in 1963 and boasts a long history and authority, celebrating its 62nd anniversary this year. Kim Min-seon (18, Chiak High School) and Lee Jong-min (18, Gwangmyeong North High School), who received the Taegeuk mark for their outstanding performance in the 2024 national team selection competition held at the end of last year, are competing in a team competition for the honor of their school.
It is being held in accordance with the convention hosting agreement between the association and Seosan City last March. Last year, the association signed an agreement to host the competition with Seosan City, supporting a total of 800 million won over four years from 2024 to 2027.
Mayor Lee Wan-seop of Seosan said, “We want to revitalize the local economy and contribute to the development of badminton in Korea by hosting national-scale sports competitions.” World-class players such as Ahn Se-young, Seo Seung-jae (Samsung Life Insurance), Lee So-hee (Incheon International Airport), and Baek Hana (MG Saemaeul Geumgo) are active, and it has declared its intention to become a mecca for badminton, boasting the largest number of club members in Korea. .
Seosan Mayor Lee Wan-seop (left) and association president Kim Taek-gyu at the agreement ceremony last year. Association
In Seosan, the national team selection match and the award ceremony for outstanding players in international competitions were held last year, laying the foundation for creating a badminton boom. A Korea-Japan national competition was also held, garnering enthusiastic support from fans and club members. Following this competition, the elementary school competition will also be held next month.
Here, preparations for the establishment of a Seosan-based team are in full swing. Association President Kim Taek-gyu is busy working to establish a university team that will meet with officials from the Seosan City Office of Education.
If a business team is also established, a career path for elite players starting from elementary, middle, high, and college can be secured. An official from the Seosan City Sports Council said, “There are large companies connected to the Chungcheongnam-do and Seosan regions,” and added, “There are companies that are currently positively considering the creation of a business team.”
Kim Min-seon of Chiak High School, who participated in the ‘2024 Korea Badminton Association Long-term National Badminton Competition’. Lee Jong-min of Gwangmyeong Book High School, who participated in the Association’s ‘2024 Korea Badminton Association Long-Term National Badminton Competition’. Association
Currently, Korean sports are facing a crisis as the number of players and enthusiasts decreases as we enter an era of population decline. However, in badminton, the number of registered players and hobbyists is not decreasing, but rather increasing.
More than 6,000 people participated in the club division of the President’s Jeonbuk Championships held last month. This is an increase of more than 1,000 people compared to last year’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministerial Life Sports Badminton Competition. An official from the association said, “As the number of competitions increases and the number of games increases, the burden on practitioners increases, but I am happy that the sport is still being revitalized.”
Meanwhile, if Seosan emerges as a new shuttlecock mecca, badminton can become even more solid. Chairman Kim Taek-gyu said, “We will strive to make Seosan a stepping stone for the development of Korean badminton,” adding, “It will be the icing on the cake if Seosan becomes a win-win model that revitalizes the local economy and improves the lives of residents through badminton.”
2024-04-19 09:11:15
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