Held at Wando Swimming Pool from May 13 to 15
[Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] The 62nd Jeollanam-do Sports Festival will be held in Wando-gun for four days from May 12 to 15.
According to the county on the 30th, the organizing committee of the 62nd Jeollanam-do Sports Festival is introducing the rules and viewing points of each sport every week so that spectators can enjoy the games more interestingly.
The exterior view of Wando Swimming Pool, where the swimming events of the 62nd Jeonnam Sports Festival will be held [Photo by Wando-gun]
The sport introduced this time is ‘Swimming.’ Swimming strokes include freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, backstroke, underwater swimming, surface swimming, and sidestroke, but the official Olympic and Jeonnam Sports Festival events are limited to four: freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke, and backstroke.
The swimming competition of the 62nd Jeonnam Sports Festival will be held for three days from May 13 to 15 at the Wando Swimming Pool, with about 300 athletes from 22 cities and counties participating. The competition will be divided into men’s and women’s divisions and conducted as a time race.
The events include individual races in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, individual medley, and team events in freestyle relay and medley relay.
Freestyle events are held at 50m, 100m, and 200m distances; backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly at 50m and 100m; individual medley, freestyle relay, and medley relay at 200m.
Participants can enter up to two events per athlete, with a maximum of two athletes per event, excluding the relay events. Substitute athletes are not allowed except for relay races.
Eligibility requires registration as a provincial sports festival athlete within the designated period, with priority given to athletes competing in their birthplace.
Those from Jeollanam-do who are officials or athletes of business, workplace, military, or school teams from other cities or provinces cannot participate, but officials may participate based on their registered domicile or birthplace.
In the 61st competition held in 2022, Yeosu took first place, Shinan second, and Suncheon third. In the 58th competition in 2019, Yeosu was first, Yeongam second, and Gwangyang third. In the 57th competition in 2018, Yeongam was first, Yeosu second, and Gwangyang third.
The competitions in 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to COVID-19.
In the 62nd competition, the key points to watch are whether the traditional powerhouse Yeosu City will achieve a three-peat victory, and whether Yeongam-gun and Gwangyang-si, which placed 4th and 5th in 2022, can perform well again like in 2019 and 2018 to prevent Yeosu’s three consecutive wins.
Also, the performance of Shinan-gun and Suncheon-si, which newly ranked high in last year’s competition, will be worth noting.
The host, Wando-gun, has shown lower rankings in the past but is expected to achieve better results by leveraging the advantage of hosting and the skills honed at the Wando Swimming Pool, completed in 2019.
Meanwhile, Wando-gun is making thorough preparations to develop into a sports city and is planning cultural and sports events so that the Jeonnam Sports Festival can become a festival of unity for 2 million provincial residents.
Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr
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