Jeonnam Gwangju Office of Education Successfully Hosts "2026 National Dream Haru Festival"

Over 800 Student Athletes and Parents Attend the Event

A Celebration of “Growth and Challenge” Beyond Results

Superintendent Kim Daejung: "The Real Protagonists Are the Students, Not the Medals"

The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education announced on the 28th that it held the "2026 National (Youth, Winter, Disabled Students) Sports Festival Dream Haru Festival" at the multipurpose hall of the Suncheon Bay Ecological and Cultural Education Center, creating a time to celebrate the remarkable challenges and growth of student athletes participating in the festival.

This event went beyond mere competition results and medal colors, serving as a venue for unity and celebration where participants could share the value of the student athletes' hard work and growth. More than 800 people, including student athletes, their parents, principals, coaches, education officials, officials from the sports council and the disabled sports council, attended the event and made it even more special.

The Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education held the "2026 National Sports Festival Dream Narae Hanmadang." Provided by Jeonnam Gwangju Office of Education

In particular, this year’s festival featured an educational play themed on “Baton Touch,” which deeply moved the audience. The play vividly portrayed stories of senior athletes and school sports coaches overcoming numerous failures and injuries during their athletic careers, as well as their quiet dedication to supporting the growth of their athletes.

It was followed by a scene in which the warm encouragement and teachings of seniors are passed on to the juniors, who embrace new challenges, once again highlighting the core educational value of sports.

The Jeonnam Gwangju Office of Education plans to use this event as a meaningful milestone to further strengthen collaboration in sports resources between the Jeonnam and Gwangju regions. In addition, the Office intends to establish a tailored growth support system for student athletes, striving to nurture competitive “glocal” sports talents.

Education Superintendent Kim Daejung encouraged the participants, saying, "The true protagonists of today are not those with medals around their necks, but the student athletes who never gave up and challenged themselves until the very end, along with their supportive families and dedicated coaches."

He added, "In step with the new beginning of Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, the Office of Education will spare no active support to help our students hold bigger dreams and boldly take on the wider world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.