The 105th National Sports Festival on Oct. 11 kicked off its seven-day run with a fancy opening ceremony at Gimhae Sports Complex in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. (Korea Sport and Olympic Committee)

By Lee Jihae

The 105th edition of the National Sports Festival runs for seven days.

Under the slogan "Republic of Korea competing again along with Gyeongsangnam-do Province," the competition from Oct. 11-17 features 28,153 athletes from the country's 17 cities and provinces and 1,478 ethnic Koreans from overseas. They are competing in 49 events including track and field, athletics and gymnastics at 74 stadiums, including the main venue Gimhae Sports Complex.

The opening ceremony featured an air show by the Republic of Korea Air Force's aerobatic team Black Eagles, pre-ceremony performance and entrance of the athletes.

A large-scale performance at Gimhae Sports Complex was divided into five sections. It highlighted the host province's history from 50,000 years ago to the present through videos, percussion music and dance as well as its dreams and visions for the aerospace and future industries.

In addition to the festival, Gimhae this month will host cultural events like the closing ceremony for the Cultural City of East Asia held by Korea, China and Japan; Gaya Culture Festival and Cultural Heritage Night Tour to mark the first anniversary of the designation of the Gaya Tumuli (Ancient Tombs) as UNESCO World Heritage; Korea Arts Festival; and drone night show.

"The National Sports Festival played a big role in achieving the positive results at the Paris Paralympics," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said. "We hope that following the Paris Paralympics, you present unforgettable and touching drama by showing the skills that you've honed."

As of Oct. 14, Gyeongsangnam-do topped the overall rankings on the tournament's fourth day with a combined score of 12,096, followed by Gyeonggi-do Province with 9,745 and Seoul 9,701.

jihlee08@korea.kr