The 90th National Sports Festival will open in Daejeon Tuesday for a seven-day run.

Some 24-thousand athletes from 16 cities will compete in 41 official events and three demonstration events.

The country's best athletes will compete in the festival, including Olympic gold medalist weightlifter Jang Mi-ran. Top swimmer Park Tae-hwan will not take part because he is training in Europe.

The host city of Daejeon has renovated key sports facilities, including the Hanbat Sports Complex, and has built a sports ground that can accommodate up to 450 cars, a multimedia center and a sports hall with lodging for athletes.

Daejeon has also enhanced the energy efficiency of its sports facilities by introducing a solar energy system to power them.