World leisure sports festival to kick off in Chuncheon next month

The world's biggest leisure sports festival will be held in the country's northeastern lake city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, next month with foreign and local participants competing in 14 sports events, organizers said Wednesday.

The fifth edition of the Chuncheon International Leisure Sports Festival will run from Aug. 12-15 at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, with some 5,600 local and foreign athletes from 31 nations to compete.

This year's international event has introduced two new competitions -- extreme kicking and drone racing -- on top of the three existing ones -- International Actions Sports Championship, World Latin Dance Festival and Airsoft Survival Festival.

Some 270 athletes from 10 nations will compete in aggressive inline, skateboard and bicycle motocross from Aug. 12-14.

At the World Latin Dance Festival set for Aug. 12-14, some 250 dancers from 10 countries will show off their skills.

A workshop for salsa and bachata will be put on for visitors for free at the Gangwon Physical Education High School on Aug. 13.

Some 230 players from five nations will contend in individual and group matches in the newly introduced extreme kicking from Aug.

13-14, and about 660 athletes from 18 countries will fly their drones in international and local matches from Aug. 12-14. 

In domestic competitions, 730 will take part in sports climbing, 250 in paragliding, 570 in ice hockey, 200 in inline slalom and 170 in wakeboard.

The event's organizing committee has also prepared 26 kinds of events in which visitors can take part.

They can go down a 100-meter water slide, get on hot air balloons and observe the stars. 

Kayaks, paddle boats and yachts are also available.

In addition, there will be a free ice hockey lecture, a supercar exhibition, K-pop concerts and dance performances.

A group of 200 volunteers will help players and visitors for the smooth operation of the festival.

"Final touches on event facilities are being made without a hitch, and we've focused on making this year's festival the most dynamic and pleasant in its history," a committee official said Wednesday.

Chuncheon with the beautiful Uiam Lake aims to be a world-class leisure and tourism city. 

To that end, the city joined the World Leisure Organization in 2004 and hosted a WLO Congress in 2005.

It also hosted a WLO Congress, attended by some 3,600 scholars, policymakers and students from 40 nations, and a leisure sports competition in 2010.

More than 11,000 athletes from 35 countries contended in the 2012, while 16,000 from 46 nations did so in 2014.

"We plan to promote our city as an international leisure and tourism city at home and abroad by holding local and international leisure sports festivals every year," Chuncheon Mayor Choi Dong-yong said.  (Yonhap)