NCT members compete in strategic battles during 2026 athletics championships

Newly released footage of the 2026 NCT Athletics Championships shows members dividing into teams like the Sky Blue Team and the White Team to compete in intense matches, including a tug-of-war where members used specific tactical positioning to seek victory.

Footage has been released showing the scene of the 2026 NCT Athletics Championships, where NCT members gathered in one place to compete. The event captures the process of members dividing into teams, establishing different strategies, and participating in the matches.

"Shining Bright" vs. "Work Hard"... Psychological warfare begins with team naming

Prior to the matches, members revealed their distinct personalities during the process of dividing into teams and deciding on team names. The White Team showed strong determination by mentioning "SM's Pink Blood," and various suggestions such as "Shining Bright" and "Woo woo woo, shining bright" were exchanged during the naming process. In this process, members boosted the atmosphere by mentioning each other's visuals or suggesting cute team names.

On the other hand, the team name "Work Hard" was also suggested by another team. As the naming process grew long, members reacted with jokes, saying they were "already exhausted" or "want to go home," but they soon regained their momentum to focus on the games. Meanwhile, the Sky Blue Team's name was decided as "Shining Bright."

"The person with the biggest hands is the captain": Matches where strategy and strength must harmonize

As the matches began in earnest, members established specific strategies to achieve victory. In particular, a pleasant situation occurred during the selection of captains when a suggestion was made to "let the person with the biggest hands go out." Depending on the event, members discussed intensely where and when to concentrate their strength.

In events such as tug-of-war, strategies that accurately identified the decisive points were prominent. Members assigned specific roles to teammates, stating that "the fastest person should grab the end and pull" or "the middle members must position themselves well." Tactical movements for victory continued, such as instructing specific individuals that "you three are one unit" to coordinate their movements. Additionally, discussions regarding specific positioning continued, including the opinion that "it would be faster if the fastest person goes to grab the end and pull," along with suggestions like "the middle kids should move to the right."

Between cries of "We won" and regrettable defeats: The decisive moments that decided the outcome

As the games progressed, tense moments where wins and losses were decided appeared. In some confrontations, scenes were captured where members shared the joy of victory with cries of "We won," while other scenes showed them being flustered or expressing regret over unexpected results. Moments of victory in 2-to-1 situations were captured, but some also expressed doubt or remained tense, asking, "Why are we 1st place again?"

During the tug-of-war match, strategies were executed to identify the opposing team's position, such as "we must pull the end so that side cannot grab it," and members' efforts to seize victory continued as they responded to unexpected situations occurring during the games. While worrying about the possibility of injury during the matches, members showed they would not hold back for the sake of the team's victory. In particular, the competition was so intense that mentions were made of members "throwing themselves" during the matches.

Source: NCT (YouTube)