Pyongyang, March 18 (KCNA) -- The 2026 Spring National Sports Festival opened in the DPRK.

The festival will be held, divided into professional sports field and mass sports field. The players will compete in the games of more than 540 categories of over 30 events including football, basketball, volleyball, weightlifting, gymnastics and Taekwon-Do.

An opening ceremony took place at the Ice Rink on March 17.

Present there were Vice-Premier of the Cabinet and concurrently Chairman of the State Planning Commission Pak Jong Gun, who is vice-chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee, Kim Myong Gun, chairman of the Korean Taekwon-Do Committee, officials in the field of sports, sportspersons and Pyongyang citizens.

Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Kim Il Guk made an opening address.

The speaker declared the festival open, expressing the conviction that the festival would serve as an important occasion in raising the working morale of the general advance ranks vigorously advancing toward greater victory, rallied close around the Workers' Party of Korea.

Then there took place a men's basketball match between Amnokgang and April 25 teams. -0-