2026 Gangnam District Mayor Cup series runs from Saturday through Nov. 29; pickleball, swimming, boxing, shooting and bull sports make their district cup debuts
Gangnam-gu will host the 2026 Gangnam District Mayor Cup series of sports tournaments from Saturday through Nov. 29, spanning roughly three months.
The series covers 38 sports, from badminton to triathlon, with about 10,960 athletes and recreational sports club members expected to compete.
The series opens with the 36th District Mayor Cup Badminton Tournament at Jamsil Student Gymnasium on Saturday and Sunday. September events include line dance, soccer, go, basketball, bridge and cycling. October opens with pickleball, followed by gateball, kendo, tennis, jokgu, swimming, futsal, park golf, baseball, walking, volleyball and racquetball.
November features the heaviest concentration of events, with billiards, golf, mountaineering, traditional dance, chess, track and field, Gukak Gongki, judo, boxing, ballet, shooting, jump rope, soft darts, dance sports, bull sports, taekwondo, table tennis, bowling and triathlon all scheduled.
A notable change this year is the addition of five sports making their district cup debut: pickleball on Oct. 4, swimming on Oct. 18, boxing on Nov. 14, shooting on Nov. 15 and bull sports on Nov. 22.
Long-running tournaments that have been fixtures in the community will also continue. The soccer tournament reaches its 45th edition this year, while tennis marks its 35th, bowling its 33rd, table tennis its 30th, gateball its 24th and kendo its 21st. The combination of established and newly introduced sports broadens participation opportunities within a single season.
Participation numbers vary widely by sport. Soccer is expected to draw 1,000 competitors, track and field 990, badminton 800, and basketball and taekwondo 500 each. Park golf will see 450 participants, while tennis, futsal and table tennis will each attract 400, with hundreds of club members gathering across multiple events.
Venues are spread across Gangnam-gu and nearby facilities suited to each sport, including Jamsil Student Gymnasium, Gangnam Sports Culture Center, Gangnam Segok Sports Park, Gangnam District Gymnasium, Eco Park and Kukkiwon. The Gangnam-gu Sports Council is the organizing body, with individual sport associations and federations running each event.
"This series, with more than 10,000 club members competing across 38 sports, shows how deeply lifestyle sports have taken root in residents' daily lives," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-gi said. "We will consistently support the sports that have long been loved while expanding access to new ones, so that more residents can stay active and enjoy a vibrant everyday life."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
