A scene from the 2025 BioHealth Uniconnect e-Sports Challenge | Photo provided by Kangsters
Kangsters (CEO Tyrion Kang Kim), a company specializing in wheelchair exercise solutions, said it held the ‘2025 BioHealth Uniconnect e-Sports Challenge’ on October 16 in collaboration with Dankook University’s Biohealth Innovation Convergence College and the Cheonan Sports Association for the Disabled.
The event aimed to raise awareness of disabilities and promote biohealth technology convergence between the local community and Dankook University by having athletes with disabilities and Dankook University students form teams and participate together. One wheelchair-using athlete and one student teamed up to compete in a 400m wheelchair race, a 1.6km road bike race, and a 1.5km wheelchair relay, and then selected the winning teams for each league.
In the morning, 14 randomly formed teams competed in the preliminary round and were divided into leagues A-D based on their records. Athletes with disabilities helped students unfamiliar with wheelchair use by teaching them wheelchair rolling techniques and controls, and the teams continued to build teamwork by discussing strategies. In the afternoon, tournament matches were held for each league. After intense competition, the winners were the A League team of Man-Gyo Jung and Yu-Bin Jung, the B League team of Kwang-Bok Jo and In-Sik Lee, the C League team of Young-Jun An and Ye-Young Kang, and the D League team of Eun-Mi Jeong and Hyun-Su Park.
D League winners Eun-Mi Jeong and Hyun-Su Park said, “It was meaningful to enjoy sports together with non-disabled people. I would happily participate again if given another opportunity,” and “I had no concept of wheelchair running at all, but through this event, I was able to understand people with disabilities and learn wheelchair usage through experience.”
Jang Mook Kim, head of the Dankook University Biohealth Innovation Convergence College project team, said, “It was impressive to see wheelchair-using athletes and students cooperate and compete together,” adding, “We will continue to create opportunities through inclusive e-sports events like this to experience the value of living together regardless of disability and to show how biohealth technology can change society.”
Kangsters CEO Tyrion Kang Kim, co-organizer of the event, said, “Wheelchair e-sports is not just a game but a new culture of understanding and communication,” adding, “I hope this event becomes the starting point for expanding the domestic base of wheelchair e-sports.”
Kangsters’ ‘Wheely-X Play’ was used in the competition. This solution is an expandable e-sports platform that allows users to place their personal wheelchair on the ‘Wheely-X’ treadmill designed for wheelchairs and enjoy 8 game types, including racing, skiing, and gliding. The recent release of the mobile car-racing game ‘ABLE RACER’ has also gained attention from disability associations, welfare centers, and public institutions.
Wheely-X has been adopted as an official event by the National Disabled e-Sports Competition and the Korea e-Sports Federation for the Disabled. It is also used to support the establishment of corporate wheelchair racing e-sports teams and to expand hiring opportunities for people with disabilities. Kangsters plans to continue building a domestic foundation for wheelchair e-sports and spreading a barrier-free sports culture, to enter the global Paralympic e-sports stage.
