Korea World Drone Sports Association Successfully Operates Drone Experience Center at 2026 Science Festival

Over 1,200 Participants at 2026 Science Festival Drone Experience Zone Over 3 Days… Drone Basketball and Indoor Drone Racing Experiences Popular

The ‘2026 Science Festival,’ hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT of Korea and organized by the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity, Daejeon Metropolitan City, and the Daejeon Tourism Organization, was held from April 17 to 19 at the Daejeon Convention Center and the Expo Park area. During the event, the drone experience hall operated by the World Drone Sports Association (President Woo Hyun-ho) and Drone Division Co., Ltd. received a great response from visitors.

As a representative domestic science and culture event designed to allow the public to directly see, experience, and enjoy science and technology, the festival aims to popularize science and foster future talent through diverse content, including exhibitions of the latest technologies such as AI, humanoid robots, defense robots, and drones, as well as hands-on programs, performances, and events. In particular, the festival receives high interest every year as experience-oriented programs for youth and family visitors are being expanded.

At this event, the World Drone Sports Federation (WDSF) experience zone was operated at Exhibition Hall 2 of the Daejeon Convention Center. With approximately 1,200 participants over three days, the event served as a venue to confirm the potential for the popularization of drone sports. The main content showcased at the site included "Drone Basketball," developed by the WDSF, and "Walking Racing," an indoor drone racing discipline.

Participants began with basic drone piloting training from experts and engaged in hands-on programs utilizing actual drones. Through the experiences of Drone Basketball and Drone Racing, they directly experienced the appeal of drone sports. Notably, the experience site was broadcast live via the YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@wdsf9116), allowing for real-time interaction with online viewers.

The WDSF emphasized that Drone Basketball is a new concept sport originating in South Korea and presented achievements from domestic and international competitions scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Through this, they demonstrated that drone sports are growing beyond simple experiential activities into international sports. In addition, the World Drone Sports Federation is operating certification courses for drone basketball referees (Levels 1 and 2) and coaches to foster professional drone sports personnel.

On this day, the experience center was operated with excitement, featuring commentary by world-class drone sports referees including Director Jeong Han-young.

Furthermore, promotion was conducted on-site for an international drone sports competition (scheduled to be held in Chungbuk) being promoted as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 2026 Drone Demonstration City project. The competition, scheduled for this coming August, will be announced via the World Drone Sports Federation's official blog (https://blog.naver.com/drone_sports), and registration for participating teams will also be conducted online.

Woo Hyun-ho, President of the World Drone Sports Federation, stated, "Drone sports is a future-oriented content that fuses education, industry, and entertainment," adding, "Through this Science Festival, we were able to widely publicize the potential and scalability of drone sports."

Meanwhile, the operation of this experience center is being evaluated as contributing to the spread of scientific culture and enhancing understanding of future industries as an experiential educational content that combines drone technology with sports.

WDSF official website : https://w-dsf.com/