Esports has been included as an official medal event at Korea’s 55th National Youth Sports Festival.
According to a release from the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA), the competition will take place from May 23rd to 24th at the Busan Esports Stadium. FC Online has been selected as the sole title.
The decision marks esports’ first inclusion at the National Youth Sports Festival, one of Korea’s longest-running multi-sport events.
What is the National Youth Sports Festival?
The Korea Sports Council hosts the National Youth Sports Festival each year. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation support the event.
The festival serves as a nationwide competition for elementary and middle school students. Traditionally, it focuses on physical sports. However, organisers have continued to modernise the programme.
In 2026, esports will debut with both team and individual events. Players will compete in combined 12- and 15-year-old divisions. In addition, each region can send three players and one coach.
Regional qualifiers will run between March and April. KeSPA stated that it will publish detailed schedules and rules at a later date. Esports previously appeared at the 95th National Sports Festival in 2014. At the time, it ran as an amateur sport for two years before its removal.
Korea’s Evolving Esports Recognition
The festival’s decision reflects Korea’s wider acceptance of esports as a competitive discipline.
Most notably, esports debuted as an official medal event at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, and has continued into 2026, where Korean athletes competed alongside traditional sports disciplines. The event marked a significant milestone for esports’ legitimacy within international sporting structures.
Domestically, Korea has long positioned itself as one of the world’s most established esports markets. The country maintains dedicated esports venues, government-supported initiatives, and formalised player development systems.
In its release, KeSPA stated that it will continue expanding its ‘School eSports Support Project’, an initiative designed to integrate competitive gaming into educational environments. The programme aims to systemise esports activities within schools through curriculum-linked frameworks.
KeSPA noted that the festival’s adoption of esports is expected to contribute to the development of youth players and provide a clearer pathway into structured competition.
Further details regarding schedules and tournament guidelines are expected ahead of the regional qualifiers.
