‘AyuKdae’ is returning for its 15th anniversary with the largest scale ever.
The MBC entertainment program ‘2025 Chuseok Special AyuKdae’, which will first air on the 6th at 5:45 PM, features idol singers challenging various sports events, sweating it out in fair competition. It first started in 2010 and has been a staple during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok every year.
Known as the ‘Idol Sports Festival’, ‘AyuKdae’ has garnered immense love from K-pop fans and viewers over the past 15 years, despite controversies such as injury risks, giving rise to numerous ‘idol sports stars’ and ‘legendary moments’.
This year, ‘AyuKdae’ will be held on an unprecedented scale with a total of 61 teams and 374 idols participating. Top groups representing K-POP such as NCT Wish, Zero Base One, Rise, ILY:1, Hearts to Hearts, Fifty Fifty, and Miyawoo will showcase their skills against each other. Jeon Hyun-moo, Lee Chang-seob, Lee Eun-ji, and Jonathan will serve as MCs to commentate on the idol competitions.
A new pistol shooting event has been added to this year’s ‘AyuKdae’. It is reported that the idols have shown outstanding performance through thorough practice in an atmosphere filled with tension akin to actual competitions. Fans are curious to see the skills of the idol athletes who are expected to showcase remarkable abilities befitting the title of a shooting powerhouse. Attention is focused on who will be the first gold medalist.
Additionally, the wrestling and penalty shootout events are making a comeback.
The wrestling event, which was newly introduced in the 2015 Chuseok special for the women’s division, created memorable moments with A Pink and Nine Muses competing. The men’s division made its debut in the 2016 Lunar New Year special, where BTS, BTOB, Teen Top, GOT7, Up10tion, and MONSTA X showcased their skills, and the first gold medal was won by VIXX after a close match with BTS.
After being excluded from the competition for a while, wrestling made a comeback in the 2019 Chuseok tournament to celebrate its designation as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. It will be reintroduced this time after being absent since the 2022 tournament.
The penalty shootout, considered the highlight of ‘AyuKdae’, is also one of the highly anticipated events. Especially, idols with a background in soccer, such as Rise's Seong-chan and NCT Wish's Yushi, are expected to participate, drawing even more attention. Viewers will be able to see the hidden athletic skills of the idols that are not visible on stage.
‘AyuKdae’ is scheduled to air in three parts on the 6th at 5:45 PM, the 7th at 5:10 PM, and the 8th at 5:50 PM. There may be changes in scheduling due to KBO postseason broadcasts.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
