President's Cup National City and Province Yacht Competition Kicks Off for 5 Days of Intense Battle

From the 11th to 15th, serving as the 2nd selection round for the 2024 National Team

The "36th National City and Province Yacht Competition" has entered the heat of the battle.

This competition is held over five days from the 11th to the 15th at Gyeokpo Port and Gosapo Beach area in Buan-gun, Jeonbuk. Along with the National Sports Festival, it is the top domestic competition between cities and provinces and also serves as the second national team selection event. About 400 professional yacht athletes from elementary, middle, high school, university, and general divisions participate.

Hosted by the Korea Sailing Federation and organized by the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Yacht Association, competitors showcase their honed skills in six events and 11 classes, including Optimist class, Laser class, and kiteboarding.

The opening ceremony will be spectacularly held at 11 a.m. on the 12th at a special stage in Gyeokpo Port. On the first day, the 11th, after registration, measurement, and skipper meeting, the race officially begins with the warning signal around 1:55 p.m.

In last year's "35th National City and Province Yacht Competition," the mark is being rounded thrillingly in the Skiff 2-person 49er event.
[Photo by Kim Geonwan yacht@]

The competition started in 1987 with the first event in Yeocheon, Jeonnam, and has been hosted annually by various cities and provinces nationwide. It is a comprehensive championship where athletes registered with all 17 city and province associations across the country participate. Last year, Chungnam Province won the overall championship.

Among the races, it is the only domestic event that holds an international Optimist class youth team race. Each team consists of four members, including one elementary school student, competing for the honor of their city or province. This race takes place in Area A, around the Gyeokpo Port breakwater, which is a key viewing point for spectators.

The Jeonbuk Yacht Association won the overall championship at the 20th competition in 2006 and has consecutively hosted the event five times since 2019, contributing to the local economy of Buan-gun. In preparation for the competition, some teams have conducted pre-training camps at Gyeokpo Port in Buan, known as the optimal yacht training site among other cities and provinces.

Buan-gun, the host of this event (Mayor Kwon Ik-hyun), operates a professional yacht team of seven athletes. Last year, they won a bronze medal in the women's kite formula event at the Guangzhou Asian Games. At the 21st Korea Coast Guard Cup and the first national team selection event held in March, male and female athletes currently hold first place, aiming for national team selection.

On this day, kiteboarder Lee Young-eun will depart to participate in the Paris France Olympic Week competition held in Hy?res, southeastern France, to secure a ticket for the Paris Olympics, which is about 100 days away. The Korean yacht team is putting all their efforts into securing the last remaining tickets in five events, including ILCA7 athlete Ha Ji-min and iQFoil athlete Lee Tae-hoon.

Buan-gun annually prepares and promotes various programs to encourage students and the general public to participate in and enjoy marine sports and regionally specialized marine leisure activities.

A Buan-gun official stated, "We hope this competition will revitalize yacht sports in Jeonbuk, expand the base of yacht enthusiasts, and help Buan become a central city for marine sports."