'Presidential Archery Tournament' Kicks Off at Gwangju International Archery Field on the 24th
Over 600 Participants Including Jeon Hoonyeong, Kim Surin, and Lee Seungyun
Finals to Be Held at 5·18 Democracy Square... Preview Event for World Archery Championships
The preparations for the successful hosting of the '2025 Gwangju Hyundai World Archery Championships' have begun. Gwangju City announced that the '43rd Presidential Archery Tournament' opened on June 24 at the Gwangju International Archery Field and will run for six days until June 29.
In particular, this tournament serves as a pre-event for the World Archery Championships to be held in Gwangju in September, as the finals will take place at the 5·18 Democracy Square, giving participants and spectators a preview of the upcoming atmosphere.
The opening ceremony, held in the afternoon, was attended by about 600 people, including Ko Gwangwan, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs, Jang Youngsul, Vice President of the Korea Archery Association, other key officials, athletes, and staff, who gathered to celebrate the start of the tournament. The ceremony featured official events such as the declaration of the opening, return of the championship flag, welcoming remarks, congratulatory speeches, and the athletes' oath. The 43rd Presidential Archery Tournament is hosted and organized by the Korea Archery Association and the Gwangju City Archery Association, with sponsorship from Gwangju City.
More than 600 athletes and officials are participating in this tournament, including Lee Seungyun (Gwangju Nam-gu Office), gold medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Ku Bonchan (Hyundai Steel); Jeon Hoonyeong (Incheon City Hall), gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics; and Kim Surin (Gwangju City Hall), gold medalist at the 2015 Junior World Championships. They are expected to showcase their best performances.
Since 2017, the city has successfully hosted the Presidential Archery Tournament seven times, from the 35th to the 41st editions. The 42nd tournament was held in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, due to renovation work at the Gwangju International Archery Field.
Gwangju City and the World Archery Championships Organizing Committee plan to use this tournament to thoroughly inspect and improve preparations for the 2025 Gwangju Hyundai World Archery Championships, by holding the finals not only at the Gwangju International Archery Field but also at the 5·18 Democracy Square.
Ko Gwangwan, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that this tournament provides athletes with a venue to fully demonstrate their skills, and offers citizens a festival where they can experience the full appeal of archery."
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