Two domestic winter sports festivals have opened in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.

The 88th National Winter Sports Festival and the fourth National Winter Sports Festival for the Disabled on Wednesday kicked off four days of competition.

The two events are being held in Pyeongchang concurrently to support the county's bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

During the National Winter Sports Festival, some 33-hundred athletes from 15 cities and provinces will compete for a total of two-hundred-37 gold medals in five events.

At the opening ceremony, Korean Olympic Committee Chairman Kim Jung-gil called the concurrent opening of the two winter sports festivals in Pyeongchang a meaningful occasion that will help its Olympic bid.