3,000 Firefighters Compete in Seven Sports at National Games

Firefighters from across South Korea will gather in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, to compete and mix through sports.

The National Fire Agency said on the 13th that it will hold the 8th National Fire Agency Commissioner's Cup National Firefighters Sports Games from Sept. 15 to 18 at 15 venues, including Yesan Sports Complex. About 3,000 people will take part, including teams from the agency and from 18 metropolitan and provincial fire headquarters nationwide.

The games were first held in Daegu in 2019 and are now in their eighth year. Participants will compete in seven sports — soccer, baseball, basketball, jokgu, tennis, table tennis and badminton — through group stages and knockout rounds.

This year the organizers have reinstated an overall championship, scoring results across the seven sports and awarding separate participation points to provinces and cities that enter every event. Beyond the competition, a crossbar and half-line shot challenge and a friendship bowling tournament are planned to encourage exchange among firefighters.

Programs tied to local tourism will also run. Teams and officials who visit at least three major tourist sites in Yesan County during the games will receive local specialties such as Yesan noodles and Yesan Mihwang rice. A cultural performance for local residents and the visiting teams will be held at Yesan Permanent Market.

"I hope these games will go beyond winning and losing and become a place where firefighters from across the country talk with one another and stand together," National Fire Agency Commissioner Choi Yong-chul said.