Osan City and Hidaka City in Japan Promote Youth Sports Exchange

Osan City (Mayor Kwak Sang-wook) announced on the 6th that it conducted the 8th Youth Sports (Soccer) Exchange Visit with its sister city Hidaka City in Japan from the 2nd to 4th through a homestay program for a two-night, three-day stay.

This youth soccer exchange marks the eighth annual exchange held alternately between the two cities each year, except for years cancelled due to the Dokdo issue and the spread of novel influenza, following the sports cooperation agreement reached in 2003. The exchange was held in 2008, 2009, and 2012, with exchanges resuming since then.

For this youth soccer exchange, Osan City organized a delegation of 20 people, consisting of 15 elementary school students from eight schools in the city as a youth soccer team, led by the head of the autonomous administration and general affairs division.

On the first day, the delegation attended a welcome banquet hosted by Hidaka City. On the morning of the second day, they toured the Koma Shrine, which enshrines King Yakkwang of Goguryeo, and in the afternoon played two friendly soccer matches against Hidaka City's youth soccer team.

The results of the two friendly matches were split, with each city winning one game. The youth players from both cities created a harmonious atmosphere, focusing less on winning and more on sportsmanship, such as helping up opponents who fell during the match.

On the final day, the delegation visited Tokyo Disneyland, giving the youth an opportunity to broaden their dreams for the future.

A city official stated, "We expect this youth soccer exchange to not only foster networking among elementary school students from both cities, but also strengthen the friendly relations between our two sister cities."

Meanwhile, Osan City and Hidaka City have been engaged in active exchanges in various areas since establishing their sister city agreement in 1996, including mutual delegation visits, civil service exchanges, and youth soccer sports exchanges.