National yacht competition opens Thursday in Gangneung's Sacheon

The 23rd Korea Coast Guard Commandant Cup National Yacht Competition opens Thursday and runs through Monday at the Sacheon Yacht Stadium in Gangneung, Gangwon Province.

Co-hosted by the Korea Coast Guard and the Korea Sailing Federation, and organized by the Gangwon Province Sailing Association and the Gangneung Sailing Association, the event aims to broaden the base of competitive sailing in Korea and identify promising athletes. About 200 competitors from across the country are expected to take part.

Races will be divided into elementary, middle school, high school, university and open divisions, with 11 classes across five disciplines: single- and double-handed dinghy, skiff, windsurfing and kiteboarding.

The opening ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. June 26 on a specially erected stage at the Sacheon Yacht Stadium, one day before racing begins.

The Korea Coast Guard plans to run a range of maritime safety activities at the venue to raise public awareness, including a coast guard information booth, virtual reality maritime safety experiences, water leisure safety demonstrations, life jacket fitting sessions and CPR training. Organizers will also distribute 500 life jackets to participants along with other promotional materials as part of a broader push to spread a culture of maritime safety.

Choi Sang-bo, head of the sports division at Gangneung City, said the competition "has been a leading national-level event driving the development of sailing in Korea," adding that he hopes it will give athletes a chance to showcase the skills they have honed and help make sailing and marine leisure sports more familiar to the public.