# Korean National Sports Festival

The Korean National Sports Festival is an annual sports competition held in South Korea.
For a full week each October, about 20,000 athletes representing 16 cities and provinces throughout the country compete in about 40 separate sports. The site rotates among the major cities, including Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Incheon. The 2005 festival was held in Ulsan and the 2009 festival in Daejeon.
Competitions are held in High School, College, and Regular Divisions.

## History

The current annual numbering originates from the 1920 All-Korea Baseball Series and the formation of the Korean Sports Festival (조선체육회). The Japanese colonial government held a multi-sport competition in 1925, but the Korean Sports Festival first became a national multi-sport competition in 1934, with baseball, soccer, tennis, track and field, and basketball.
In 1938, the Korean Sports Festival was forcibly dissolved by the colonial government. The festival, numbered 26th, resumed upon the 1945 liberation of Korea. With the establishment of South Korea in 1948, the event was renamed the "National Sports Festival," and individual competition was changed to competition among cities and provinces. The festival was cancelled in 1951, during the Korean War.

## List of Korean National Sports Festivals

| Games | Year | Host | Dates | Competitors | Competitors | Competitors | Sports | Events | Ref |
| Games | Year | Host | Dates | Total | Men | Women | Sports | Events | Ref |
| 1 | 1920 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 1921 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 3 | 1922 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 4 | 1923 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 5 | 1924 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 6 | 1925 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 7 | 1926 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 8 | 1927 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 9 | 1928 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 10 | 1929 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 11 | 1930 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 12 | 1931 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 13 | 1932 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 14 | 1933 | No Fixed Venue | | | | | | | |
| 15 | 1934 | Gyeongseong | November 2–5 | | | | | | |
| 16 | 1935 | Gyeongseong | October 22–26 | | | | | | |
| 17 | 1936 | Gyeongseong | September | | | | | | |
| 18 | 1937 | Gyeongseong | September | | | | | | |
| 19-25 | 1938–1944 | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued | Discontinued |
| 26 | 1945 | Seoul | October 27–30 | | | | | | |
| 27 | 1946 | Seoul | October 16–20 | | | | | | |
| 28 | 1947 | Seoul | October 13–19 | | | | | | |
| 29 | 1948 | Seoul | October 20–26 | | | | | | |
| 30 | 1949 | Seoul | October 15–23 | | | | | | |
| 31 | 1950 | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War | Not held due to Korean War |
| 32 | 1951 | Gwangju | October 27–31 | | | | | | |
| 33 | 1952 | Seoul | October 18–24 | | | | | | |
| 34 | 1953 | Seoul | October 17–22 | | | | | | |
| 35 | 1954 | Seoul | October 19–25 | | | | | | |
| 36 | 1955 | Seoul | October 15–22 | | | | | | |
| 37 | 1956 | Seoul | October 3–9 | | | | | | |
| 38 | 1957 | Busan | October 18–24 | | | | | | |
| 39 | 1958 | Seoul | October 3–9 | | | | | | |
| 40 | 1959 | Seoul | October 3–9 | | | | | | |
| 41 | 1960 | Daejeon | October 10–16 | | | | | | |
| 42 | 1961 | Seoul | October 11–15 | | | | | | |
| 43 | 1962 | Daegu | October 24–29 | | | | | | |
| 44 | 1963 | Jeonju | October 4–9 | | | | | | |
| 45 | 1964 | Gyeonggi | September 3–8 | | | | | | |
| 46 | 1965 | Gwangju | October 5–10 | | | | | | |
| 47 | 1966 | Seoul | October 10–15 | | | | | | |
| 48 | 1967 | Seoul | October 5–10 | | | | | | |
| 49 | 1968 | Seoul | September 12–17 | | | | | | |
| 50 | 1969 | Seoul | October 28-November 2 | | | | | | |
| 51 | 1970 | Seoul | October 6–11 | | | | | | |
| 52 | 1971 | Seoul | October 8–13 | | | | | | |
| 53 | 1972 | Seoul | October 6–11 | | | | | | |
| 54 | 1973 | Busan | October 12–17 | | | | | | |
| 55 | 1974 | Seoul | October 8–13 | | | | | | |
| 56 | 1975 | Daegu | October 7–12 | | | | | | |
| 57 | 1976 | Busan | October 12–17 | | | | | | |
| 58 | 1977 | Gwangju | October 10–15 | | | | | | |
| 59 | 1978 | Incheon | October 12–17 | | | | | | |
| 60 | 1979 | Chungnam | October 12–17 | | | | | | |
| 61 | 1980 | Jeonbuk | October 8–13 | | | | | | |
| 62 | 1981 | Seoul | October 10–15 | | | | | | |
| 63 | 1982 | Gyeongnam | October 14–19 | | | | | | |
| 64 | 1983 | Incheon | October 6–11 | | | | | | |
| 65 | 1984 | Daegu | October 11–16 | | | | | | |
| 66 | 1985 | Gangwon | October 10–15 | | | | | | |
| 67 | 1986 | Seoul, Gyeonggi, Busan | June 20–25 | | | | | | |
| 68 | 1987 | Gwangju | October 13–18 | | | | | | |
| 69 | 1988 | No Fixed Venue | May 9–22 | | | | | | |
| 70 | 1989 | Gyeonggi | September 26-October 1 | | | | | | |
| 71 | 1990 | Chungbuk | October 15–21 | | | | | | |
| 72 | 1991 | Jeonbuk | October 7–13 | | | | | | |
| 73 | 1992 | Daegu | October 10–16 | | | | | | |
| 74 | 1993 | Gwangju | October 11–17 | | | | | | |
| 75 | 1994 | Daejeon | October 27-November 2 | | | | | | |
| 76 | 1995 | Gyeongbuk | October 2–8 | | | | | | |
| 77 | 1996 | Gangwon | October 7–13 | | | | | | |
| 78 | 1997 | Gyeongnam | October 8–14 | | | | | | |
| 79 | 1998 | Jeju | September 25-October 1 | | | | | | |
| 80 | 1999 | Incheon | October 11–17 | | | | | | |
| 81 | 2000 | Busan | October 12–18 | | | | | | |
| 82 | 2001 | Chungnam | October 10–16 | | | | | | |
| 83 | 2002 | Jeju | November 9–15 | | | | | | |
| 84 | 2003 | Jeonbuk | October 10–16 | | | | | | |
| 85 | 2004 | Chungbuk | October 8–14 | | | | | | |
| 86 | 2005 | Ulsan | October 14–20 | | | | | | |
| 87 | 2006 | Gyeongbuk | October 17–23 | | | | | | |
| 88 | 2007 | Gwangju | October 8–14 | | | | | | |
| 89 | 2008 | Jeonnam | October 10–16 | | | | | | |
| 90 | 2009 | Daejeon | October 20–26 | | | | | | |
| 91 | 2010 | Gyeongnam | October 6–12 | | | | | | |
| 92 | 2011 | Gyeonggi | October 6–12 | | | | | | |
| 93 | 2012 | Daegu | October 11–17 | | | | | | |
| 94 | 2013 | Incheon | October 18–24 | | | | | | |
| 95 | 2014 | Jeju | October 28-November 3 | | | | | | |
| 96 | 2015 | Gangwon | October 16–22 | | | | | | |
| 97 | 2016 | Chungnam | October 7–13 | | | | | | |
| 98 | 2017 | Chungbuk | October 20–26 | | | | | | |
| 99 | 2018 | Jeonbuk | October 12–18 | | | | | | |
| 100 | 2019 | Seoul | October 4–10 | | | | | | |
| 101 | 2020 | Gyeongbuk | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | | | | | | |
| 102 | 2021 | Gyeongbuk | October 8–14 | | | | | | |
| 103 | 2022 | Ulsan | October 7–13 | | | | | | |
| 104 | 2023 | Jeonnam | October 13–19 | | | | | | |

## Other national sports events

Related annual national sports events include:
* The National Winter Sports Festival
* The Children's National Sports Festival
* The National Sports Festival for the Handicapped