This Year's National Winter Sports Festival Canceled Due to COVID-19 Spread Concerns

April Schedule: 2021 National Sports for All Festival Postponed to November

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The 102nd National Winter Sports Festival, scheduled for this year, will not be held to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The Korea Sports Council announced on the 8th that, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, they have decided to cancel the 102nd National Winter Sports Festival considering the COVID-19 situation. The event was originally planned to be held from February 5 to 8, dispersed across Seoul, Gangwon, and Gyeongbuk regions.

Since December last year, the Korea Sports Council and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have continuously consulted and gathered opinions from related organizations such as the Ministry of Education (city and provincial offices of education), city and provincial sports councils, and winter sports member organizations regarding the event's feasibility. As a result, they agreed on the following points: ▲ concerns about the spread of COVID-19 among athletes due to lodging and group training if the National Winter Sports Festival is held ▲ difficulty in postponing the event due to the nature of winter sports and deterioration of snow quality ▲ limited access to facilities in the metropolitan area and some city and provincial stadiums, increasing the risk of injuries due to insufficient training ▲ prioritizing athlete safety as it is a nationwide event, especially considering the large number of student athletes, making normal event hosting difficult.

The Korea Sports Council stated, "We will work with the Ministry of Education, local governments, and related organizations to prepare measures to minimize the damage to athletes in terms of school admission, contract signing, and other areas due to the event cancellation."

Meanwhile, the 2021 National Sports for All Festival, originally scheduled to be held in Seoul this April, has also been postponed to November considering the COVID-19 situation.