Translation result

Mayor Lee Sang-il rallied Yongin athletes from the opening parade to the stands at the 72nd Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Festival in Gwangju

Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin Special City made an on-site visit to the Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Festival to personally cheer the athletes.

According to E-Today on April 17, Mayor Lee joined the Yongin delegation at the opening ceremony of the 72nd Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Festival — “Gwangju 2026” — which opened April 16 in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. He also visited the taekwondo and bowling venues to cheer competitors.

At Gwangju G-Stadium, he marched in alongside the Yongin delegation, making the city’s presence felt among the 31 participating municipalities. After the ceremony, he met the team at a banquet and told them, “I hope the athletes representing Yongin deliver strong results that raise the city’s profile and boost civic pride. Show the skills you’ve worked so hard to develop, and compete safely so you can achieve meaningful success.”

He added that Yongin, on track to become a metropolitan city of 1.5 million residents, is evolving into a hub for advanced industries such as semiconductors while expanding in culture, the arts, and community sports. “We will continue to invest in sports infrastructure so every resident can enjoy athletic activities,” he said.

Yongin entered 26 of the meet’s 27 official events this year, sitting out only billiards. The delegation totaled 485 people — 312 athletes and 173 officials — and included Yongin City Hall workplace teams in six events. The athletes got off to a strong start, posting early wins across several sports on the first day.

At last year’s 71st festival in Gapyeong County, Yongin finished sixth in Division 1 among 15 cities and counties. The team trained intensively ahead of this year’s competition with sights set on a higher ranking. The festival runs through the closing ceremony on April 18.