67 ChildFund Korea i-LEADERs win 86 medals at National Sports Festival
- Input
- 2026-10-27 10:03:39
- Updated
- 2026-10-27 10:03:39
According to ChildFund Korea on the 27th, 122 i-LEADERs competed in the 107th National Sports Festival, held in Jeju from the 16th to the 22nd. They won 34 gold, 26 silver and 26 bronze medals.
Lee Ye-ju, who competed as a national team member at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, won four gold medals and one silver in diving at this year’s event. She has been an i-LEADER since 2024.
“This was my last National Sports Festival competing as a high school student, and since it was held in my hometown of Jeju, I prepared with big goals and determination,” she said. “I’m very happy and would like to express my gratitude to ChildFund Korea and its sponsors.”
Table tennis sisters Jeong Ye-in and Jeong Ye-seo, who have both been i-LEADERs since last year, won silver in the under-18 team event. Jeong Ye-in also added a bronze medal in singles.
The sisters, who continue training early in the morning and at night with the goal of turning professional, said, “We’re grateful that ChildFund Korea’s i-LEADER program has enabled us to pursue our dreams and goals while focusing on our sport.”
i-LEADER is a program that supports children with talent in the arts, sports, academics and self-directed pursuits. It provides funding for talent development, including curriculum support, the purchase of textbooks and teaching materials, and participation in competitions. It also runs mentoring programs with seniors and experts, as well as camps.
From 2009 through last year, the program supported 14,446 children, and 1,937 are participating this year.
ChildFund Korea is currently recruiting new i-LEADERs for 2027. Eligible applicants are children aged 7 to 18 with talent in the relevant field who are from households with incomes at or below 100% of the standard median income. Applicants can check application periods by region and detailed eligibility requirements for each field, then submit the required documents.
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