The Jeonnam sports delegation is targeting 13th place overall at the 107th National Sports Festival, aiming to climb one spot higher than its previous finish with a total of 1,792 participants across 49 disciplines, according to coverage published by Newspim and Nate News.
Delegation Size and Target Rankings
The Jeonnam Sports Council announced that it will dispatch 1,188 athletes and 604 officials to the upcoming multi-sport competition. The event is scheduled to run for seven days starting October 16 across venues in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Officials have set a clear sights on surpassing the 14th-place finish recorded at the 106th edition of the games.
During the previous festival, the Jeonnam squad accumulated 28,770 total points alongside 45 gold medals, 50 silver medals, and 79 bronze medals, bringing their overall medal count to 174. To bolster competitiveness for this year’s campaign, the organization focused heavily on developing elite athletes, strengthening conditioning routines, and broadening the talent pool through the establishment of new competitive teams.
New Team Foundations and Strategic Disciplines
Furthermore, favorable tournament bracket draws have handed certain Jeonnam entries automatic bye rounds, creating opportunities to secure crucial bonus points early in the standings.
Council planners have identified dance sports, wrestling, yachting, and baduk as primary strategic disciplines where the province expects to harvest high-value points. Early results from preliminary matches have already added to the tally, with Jeonnam securing three bronze medals in badminton, one silver and two bronze medals in cycling, and one bronze medal in table tennis.
Generational Contenders and Consecutive Title Defenses
The roster features notable athletes spanning multiple generations. Cho Han-ho, representing the Jeonnam Equestrian Federation in the dressage competition, is set to make his 14th appearance at the National Sports Festival. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, Lee Si-yeon of Jeonnam Physical Education High School enters as the delegation’s youngest competitor at 15 years old.
Family ties also run deep within the delegation. Badminton coaches Jeong Gwon and Kim Myeong-hyun will watch their daughter Jeong Da-yeon of Hwasun County Hall and son Jeong Da-hwan of Jeonnam Technical Science High School compete under the Jeonnam banner. Meanwhile, established champions are chasing consecutive titles: Kim Min-su of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City Hall wushu team aims for his fifth straight victory, Kim Ji-jung of Suncheon City Hall targets a fourth judo gold, and modern pentathletes Seo Chang-wan and Kim Young-ha pursue back-to-back crowns.
Official Outlook and Administrative Focus
Song Jin-ho, president of the Jeonnam Sports Council, emphasized the deeper significance of the statewide showcase. “The National Sports Festival is a stage where athletes see the fruits of their long hours of sweat and passion,” Song stated. He urged competitors to carry pride in representing Jeonnam and to prioritize finishing their events safely without injury, looking past the mere color of the medals.
Competition runs through October 22 across Jeju, marking the official conclusion of the week-long provincial championship series.
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