550 people united as integrated sports beyond disability...Special Olympics Korea Holds International Integrated Sports Competition in Success

Jun 30, 2025

'2025 Special Olympics Korea International Integrated Sports Competition"' opening ceremony was held at Inje Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gangwon State on the 27th. Photo courtesy = Special Olympics Korea

Special Olympics Korea (Chairman Jung Yang-seok) successfully concluded the '2025 Special Olympics Korea International Integrated Sports Competition' held for three days, starting with the opening ceremony held at Inje Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gangwon State on the 27th.

This competition is an international exchange event involving five countries (Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mongolia) from the East Asia Headquarters of the Special Olympics, and it has become a venue for sharing the value of true inclusion and cooperation through the Unified Sports' where the developmentally disabled and non-disabled participate in the game together.

Integrated sports is a representative program emphasized worldwide by the Special Olympics and aims to realize mutual understanding and social integration beyond competition. A total of 39 teams, including 35 domestic teams and four overseas teams, participated in this competition and played enthusiastically in five events: soccer, basketball, volleyball, badminton, and floorball.

A group of players participating in the 'integrated sport' floorball where the developmentally disabled and the non-disabled play together are taking photos before the game. Photo courtesy = Special Olympics Korea

The total number of participants reached 550, including 412 athletes, 4 interpreters, 94 operational officials, 20 health examination program officials, and 20 Special Olympics Korea executives and VIPs, showing the status of the competition.

Special Olympics Korea Chairman Chung Yang-seok, Inje County Governor Choi Sang-ki, and Inje County Council Chairman Lee Chun-man joined the opening ceremony to shine, and the performance of the developmentally disabled orchestra, the Einsbaum Wind Chamber, marked the beginning of the competition.

In addition, various additional events such as health check-up programs, cultural and artistic experience booths, and Seoul tours for overseas participating teams were prepared to increase the satisfaction of participants.

According to the tradition of the Special Olympics, all participants took the podium, and medals were awarded to the first to third place and ribbons were awarded to the fourth place or lower. After the awards ceremony, the competition ended in great success.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.