Over 15,000 Citizens Attend at Ulsan Sports Complex on the 7th at 5 PM
Diverse Events Including Pre-Ceremony Musical Performance, Official Ceremony, and Celebration Show at 6 PM
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Ulsan City will hold the "103rd National Sports Festival Opening Ceremony" at 5 p.m. on the 7th at Ulsan Sports Complex Stadium, with about 15,000 citizens and others in attendance.
The opening ceremony, held under the theme "Rise, Ulsan," will begin with a preliminary event at 5 p.m., followed by a pre-ceremony performance at 6 p.m. featuring a musical depicting the development history of Ulsan.
The pre-ceremony performance features singer Tae-i, who is from Ulsan, and local elementary school students appearing as father and daughter, telling stories about Ulsan's past and present.
At 6:30 p.m., the official event begins with a countdown, led by a leading band jointly participated by the 53rd Infantry Division and the 2nd Operations Command, followed by the entrance of the athletes.
The athletes' entrance will proceed differently from the usual method of entering through the main gate of the stadium, passing the main stand, and parading. At the Ulsan National Sports Festival, the athletes, who are the main figures of the festival, will enter directly onto the central stage in front of the main stand to stand out.
The entrance order of the athletes starts with the Jeonnam Province team, the next host of the National Sports Festival, followed by city and provincial teams, overseas Korean teams from 18 countries, the Five Northern Provinces team, Ulsan City team, and referees.
The athletes who have entered will sit on chairs arranged in the shape of the Geon-Gon-Gam-Ri (the four trigrams of the Korean flag) to watch the opening ceremony.
After the athletes' entrance, the Ulsan City Dance Company will present a welcoming dance for the athletes.
Next, about 100 local children's choir members dressed in red and blue will form the Taegeuk pattern on the central stage and sing the national anthem a cappella.
The Taegeuk pattern formed by the athletes seated in the Geon-Gon-Gam-Ri arrangement and the children's choir completes the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag).
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism will declare the opening of the National Sports Festival.
Following this, the festival flag will be raised, and the Ulsan mayor's welcome speech and the Korea Sports Council president's opening address will take place.
The main event of the National Sports Festival opening ceremony is the lighting of the flame.
The flame, kindled at seven locations from September 30 to October 3, was carried by 611 citizens from October 4 to 6, running a total of 224 km across the region.
On the morning of the 7th, the flame will be carried from Ulsan City Hall to the opening ceremony venue, passing through the hands of 63 torchbearers before being delivered to the final lighting torchbearer.
With the lighting of the flame, the official event concludes, followed by a media art show and congratulatory performances at 7:40 p.m.
The congratulatory performances will feature singer Tae-i, the lead actor of the opening ceremony theme performance and a native of Ulsan, followed by Big Mama, TAN, and Kim Ho-joong.
Participation by local cultural and artistic figures is also notable.
Students from the Global Business Department of Ulsan College will escort the athletes holding whale-shaped placards, a symbol of Ulsan.
Additionally, performances by capable artists including the Ulsan City Dance Company and El Dance Company will be showcased.
A city official said, "Just as the Olympics elevate a nation's international status and become a turning point for national development, this National Sports Festival will raise Ulsan's external status one step further and become a new turning point for Ulsan's development," adding, "We ask for the citizens' great interest in the opening ceremony that marks the start of the National Sports Festival."
The 103rd National Sports Festival will be held from October 7 to 13, with about 30,000 athletes and officials participating in 49 events (46 official, 3 demonstration).
The closing ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. on the 13th at Ulsan Sports Complex Stadium.
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