Daegu's university taekwondo festival closes, with students playing key roles on and off the mat 작성일 07-09 4 목록 <strong class="media_end_summary">A total of 930 athletes from 26 countries took part in the four-day event, which got high marks for the positive impact made by its student volunteers.</strong><div class="image"><br> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/07/09/0000090939_001_20260709134713315.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Athletes compete in the sparring event at the Daegu 2026 World University Taekwondo Festival held at Keimyung University's Seongseo Campus in Daegu on July 7. NEWS1</em></span><br></div><br><br>The Daegu 2026 World University Taekwondo Festival, which drew 930 university athletes from 26 countries, ended Tuesday after four days, buoyed by strong student participation as both competitors and volunteers behind the scenes.<br><br>Now in its third year, the festival is co-hosted by World Taekwondo (WT) and the International University Sports Federation. Concerns had hung over this edition beforehand, given global instability, but it nevertheless drew athletes from Asia, Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Africa, led by Korea, the sport's home. Guadeloupe, a French island in the Caribbean, even took part for the first time.<br><br>After an opening ceremony, the competition ran through the <span class="italic m-italic " data-lab-italic="italic">poomsae </span>forms events and closed with its highlight, G1 <span class="italic m-italic " data-lab-italic="italic">kyorugi</span>, or sparring, which carries world ranking points. Poomsae is a sequence of taekwondo techniques linked together into a pattern of moves. Families filled the arena on Sunday, and students from the host<span class="font-weight-bold m-font-weight-bold " data-lab-f> </span>Keimyung University and other schools packed the stands on Monday. On the final day, athletes competed through heavy rain.<br><br>The event's quiet mainstay was local youth. A large international event outside the greater Seoul area often lives or dies on the skill of its staff, and Daegu passed that test because of taekwondo students from Keimyung University. The students came on as volunteers, but they did more than just lend a hand: They ran events, guided teams and handled interpreting and protocol. Organizers said the festival finished without a single safety incident, and credited the student volunteers. Foreign coaches praised the both athletes and the students' organized, friendly help.<br><br>Off the mat, a K-culture program also drew positive reviews. Visiting athletes wore <span class="italic m-italic " data-lab-italic="italic">hanbok</span>, traditional Korean dress, tried traditional culture at Keimyung's Hanhakchon, a re-created Korean village and even joined K-pop dance classes. Their spending on lodging, food and transport around Dalseo District in Daegu also gave the local economy a lift.<br><br><div class="image"><br> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/07/09/0000090939_002_20260709134713480.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Athletes compete in the sparring event at the Daegu 2026 World University Taekwondo Festival held at Keimyung University's Seongseo Campus in Daegu on July 7. NEWS1</em></span><br></div><br><br>“Young people who gathered in Daegu from around the world proved the values of harmony and peace that taekwondo holds,” said Chung Byung-kee, secretary general of the festival's organizing committee and a professor at Keimyung University. “It also gave regional universities and local youth a chance to grow and chase dreams on the world stage through taekwondo.”<br><br>Taekwondo officials said the festival's success this year should not be a one-off. With WT's backing and local governments and universities working together, they said, it should take root and become an international sporting legacy for Daegu.<br><br><div class="image"><br> <span class="end_photo_org"><img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2026/07/09/0000090939_003_20260709134713609.jpg" alt="" /><em class="img_desc">Athletes compete in the sparring event at the Daegu 2026 World University Taekwondo Festival, held in Daegu from July 4 to 7. The event drew 930 athletes from 26 countries. SPORTS PLUS</em></span><br></div><br><br> 관련자료 이전 [일문일답] 티맵 "숏폼, 광고 계획은 있지만 우선 순위 아냐" 07-09 다음 남자 20세 핸드볼 유로 2026, 세르비아 페로 제도에 1골 차 역전승… 극적인 첫 승 신고 07-09 댓글 0 등록된 댓글이 없습니다. 로그인한 회원만 댓글 등록이 가능합니다.
