Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) successfully concluded the Korea-China-Japan 3-District Youth Sports Friendship Exchange, which began on the 24th.
The district, along with Dongxing District in China and Meguro District in Japan, agreed on youth sports exchanges for friendship cooperation among the three districts in 2016. From 2017 to 2019, they actively continued youth sports exchanges by sequentially hosting the "3-District Basketball Tournament" in each city. However, the events were temporarily halted due to COVID-19.
This exchange event resumed after five years since the 2019 basketball tournament, aiming to strengthen mutual friendship among the three districts and enhance communication through sports as a medium.
The sport was badminton, with second-year middle school students from each city participating. Each team consisted of 12 players, with a total of four teams competing. Notably, instead of city-based competitions, mixed teams composed of players from the three districts participated, emphasizing friendship over competition.
The matches started with preliminary rounds on the 24th and concluded successfully with the finals on the morning of the 25th. After the games, a closing ceremony featured a congratulatory performance and an awards ceremony announcing group rankings and the best players from each country.
Additionally, representatives of the players from the three districts shared their impressions and exchanged T-shirts, creating a meaningful time.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “I am pleased that through sports, youths from the three East Asian countries could understand differences in language and culture and grow as partners for the future generation. I hope this opportunity allowed them to make good friends and share precious memories and friendships.”
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