Leisure Sports Culture New Horizons… “Drones Enrich Our Lives” [2024 전국드론낚시&축구대회]

Inside and outside of the first integrated hosting of the two competitions

Drone fishing, growing in popularity every year
Drop the baited fishing line into the water
Fishing competition within a set time
50 teams compete despite bad weather

Drone Soccer, Korea is the leader
Five people form a team and control the drone ball
Only the goal scorer among the team members can score.
14 teams participate in fierce aerial battle

The ‘2024 National Drone Fishing & Soccer Competition’, where you can enjoy drone sports at the same time, was held on the 21st at Yeongildae Beach in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. This is the first time that drone fishing, which has established itself as a new popular sport, and drone soccer competitions have been held together.

Fully prepared Participants are repairing drones at the ‘2024 National Drone Soccer Competition’ held at Pohang Vocational School in Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk on the 21st. Pohang=Reporter Jae-moon Lee

This competition was hosted by Segye Ilbo, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and Pohang City, and organized by the Korea Drone Industry Promotion Association, the Gyeongsangbuk-do Chapter and Gyeonggibuk Chapter of the Korea Drone Soccer Association. An official from the hosting agency said, “Drones, which are a cutting-edge technology complex that combines new industries such as information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) with aviation, are a field that leads innovative growth.” He added, “We expect that the joint hosting of new leisure sports such as drone fishing and drone soccer will help spark interest and passion for the drone industry and increase the competitiveness of the domestic drone leisure industry.”

The drone fishing competition was first held in Korea by Segye Ilbo in 2018. It was to promote the development of the drone industry in Korea and to create a new leisure sports culture. The drone fishing competition, which is evaluated to have opened a new chapter in the new technology and new industry leisure market in Korea, has grown steadily every year, with 638 teams and 1,750 participants over the past 8 years. The drone fishing competition held at Seorae Island in the Banpo District of Seoul Hangang Park in 2019 was officially certified by the Korea Record Institute as the largest number of participants in a single location, with 259 participants.

Drone fishing does not use conventional fishing rods. You attach a baited fishing line to a drone and put it in the sea to fish. The basic rule is to use a drone to fly the fishing line more than 20m and drop it in the sea, and catch as many fish as possible within the given time. In this competition, about 50 teams of anglers, including families, clubs, and coworkers, enjoyed sea fishing. The anglers divided their roles into drone piloting and fishing, and 3-4 people per team participated in the competition. Although the weather was rainy and clear, the anglers continued to move their hands regardless.

The 7th World Daily Drone Soccer Competition is being held at Pohang Vocational School in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 21st. Pohang = Reporter Jae-moon Lee

The weight of a drone is being measured at the 7th Segye Ilbo Drone Soccer Competition held at Pohang Vocational School in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 21st. Pohang = Reporter Jae-moon Lee

The four teams that received awards in the competition that lasted about four hours from 10:30 AM were tallied at 19 fish caught by drones. The total weight was 3275g. The fishing competition determines the ranking by measuring the total weight of the fish regardless of the species. The winning team was ‘Anru Sarang’. They caught 7 fish including a dorumuk, weighing 1131g.

Drone soccer is a new concept sport that was first developed in Korea. The Segye Ilbo Drone Soccer Competition was held in Gapyeong and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, and Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. In particular, in January, the ‘CES 2024 Segye Ilbo Drone Soccer Competition’ was held in Las Vegas, USA, where the world’s best home appliance and information technology (IT) exhibition fair, ‘CES 2024’, was held, drawing attention. As it emerged as the hottest spot among the events at the time, celebrities followed and global media outlets also visited to compete for coverage.

Drone soccer matches are played in a drone soccer stadium measuring 17m wide, 8m long, and 5m high. A goal is scored by throwing a drone soccer ball (diameter 60cm) that is 400mm in diameter and weighs 785g into a round goal. Each team consists of 5 players, who control the drone ball and attack and defend the opposing team’s goal. The players are divided into the roles of goal scorer, guide, front blocker, rear blocker, and goal scorer. Only the goal scorer among the team members can score a goal. The uniforms for the opposing team are equipped with different colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Each set of the game is played over 3 sets and lasts 3 minutes. This drone soccer stadium was set up at Pohang Vocational College. 14 teams from all over the country participated and competed fiercely, and the ‘Ikars’ team won the championship.

Participants are fishing with drones at the ‘2024 National Drone Fishing & Soccer Competition’ held at Yeongildae Beach in Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 21st. Reporter Nam Jeong-tak from Pohang

Participants are fishing with drones at the ‘2024 National Drone Fishing & Soccer Competition’ held at Yeongildae Beach in Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 21st. Reporter Nam Jeong-tak from Pohang

This year, for the first time, representative drone companies from Daegu and Gyeongbuk participated in the event, adding to the excitement. Despite the bad weather with rain, tourists and participants continued to visit steadily. Spectators even exclaimed in amazement at the spectacle of dozens of drones taking off at once.

Jeong Hee-taek, president of Segye Ilbo, said, “Drones will continue to make various possibilities a reality and enrich and convenient our lives,” adding, “Segye Ilbo will continue to lead the development of the 4th industrial revolution through various plans so that the drone industry can remain internationally competitive and lead the future drone market.”

Pohang = Reporters Lee Bo-ram and Bae So-young

[ⓒ 세계일보 & Segye.com, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]