[iNews24 Reporter Lee Yoon] The Pyeongtaek Office of Education in Gyeonggi Province has launched the 2026 Pyeongtaek School Sports Club Festival to revive student-centered school athletics and promote a healthy sports culture.
The festival opened on the 9th with a soccer match between Eunhye High School and Segyo Middle School and will run about 50 days across local schools and sports facilities through June 24.
The event aims to expand student-led participation in physical activity and to strengthen communication and exchanges between schools. It also serves as Pyeongtaek’s qualifying competition to select representatives for the Gyeonggi School Sports Club Festival in September.
Some 200 teams from elementary, middle and high schools — roughly 2,500 students — will compete in 11 events: soccer, basketball, volleyball, futsal, tee-ball, table tennis, badminton, dodgeball, flying disc, big volleyball, and the jump-rope figure-eight marathon.
Organizers have bolstered recreational-style events to reflect students’ varied interests and growing demand for participation.
Participation in big volleyball and the jump-rope figure-eight marathon, both geared mainly to elementary students, rose sharply compared with last year. With more girls taking part in physical activities, the number of volleyball and dodgeball teams has also increased. Organizers expect the festival to teach cooperation, communication and community spirit naturally, alongside competitive play.
The festival emphasizes creating a school-sports culture that students themselves plan and take part in, rather than focusing solely on wins and losses. The Pyeongtaek Office of Education has established a systematic operating structure centered on lead schools and coaches for each sport, and it is strengthening venue safety management and emergency-response procedures.
Officials are assigning safety personnel to each venue and conducting pre-event facility inspections to ensure the safe operation of student competitions.
At the events, students from different schools and grade levels interact and build teamwork and consideration through sports. “Practicing and competing with friends as a team is fun in itself,” one participant said. “Sports give me confidence and a sense of achievement, and they help me make friends from other schools, which makes this a meaningful experience.”
Kim Yoon-gi, head of the Office of Education, said, “The School Sports Club Festival is an important educational activity where students learn a spirit of challenge, cooperation and respect through sports.” He added, “We will continue expanding school athletics and opportunities to participate in sports so students can develop healthy bodies and sound character together.”
He emphasized, “The Pyeongtaek Office of Education will actively support creating a safe and enjoyable school-sports environment so students can run freely, communicate, and grow healthily inside and outside school.”
