Gwangju Universiade Countdown: 30 Days to go

GWANGJU – The 28^th Summer Universiade will be held from 3 to 14 July in Gwangju and Jeolla Province. Approximately 20,000 participants (athletes, executives, media, referees, etc.) are expected to visit Gwangju for the Universiade.

The participants including the athletes, officials, and referees will be staying in the Athletes’ Village. In order to provide an optimum environment for the student-athletes to compete at their best, the GUOC will be taking care of immigration, transportation, venues, cultural events etc.

Over 12,000 athletes, officials, referees, media, and guests are expected to arrive through the Incheon International Airport.

The immigration and greeting services will be provided for 22 days from 26 June, a week before the opening ceremony, to 17 July.

With the Ministry of Justice, the GUOC will provide a fast-track immigration service for the participants by operating a special immigration checkpoint.

There will be at least one information desk at Incheon International Airport, Gimpo International Airport, Muan International Airport, and Gwangju Airport. Information on protocol, customs, transportation, etc. will be available at each desk.

The majority of athletes and officials will be taking the KTX (high speed train) from Incheon Airport to get to Gwangju.

Team buses for team sports will be provided to all teams as well as shuttles for individual sports. A bilingual volunteer and police officer will escort the athletes to ensure they arrive safely to their competition venues.

The bus and the shuttle schedules can be found at the information desk at the Main Information Center (MIC) in the Athletes Village International Zone.

The MIC will not only provide transportation information, but also information on ticketing, immigration, cultural events, food and beverages, weather etc.

The GUOC has been working hard to provide a comfortable environment and excellent services in the Athletes’ Village, which will be open on 26 June.

Facilities such as banks, post offices, convenience stores, dry cleaning centers, hair salons, fitness centers, saunas, and prayer rooms for various religions are also located in the residential area.

The dining hall in the Athletes’ Village will operate 24 hours from 26 June to 17 July.  

The Gwangju Universiade will host a variety of cultural events at the AV from 1 to 15 July to have the young athletes around the world enjoy the beauty of Korea and share their cultures.

600 athletes and officials from 40 different countries will be staying in the Athletes Village in Chungju from 30 June to 9 July.

“With only 30 days until the grand opening ceremony, we are making sure that all of our preparations are on point before the athletes arrive in Gwangju”, said GUOC Secretary-General Kim Yun-suk.

There are 69 competition and training venues for 21 different sports. Four venues; Nambu University Aquatics Center, Kwangju Women’s University Universiade Gymnasium, Gwangju International Archery Center, and Jinwol International Tennis Court have been newly constructed while the remaining 65 venues are refurbished.

The Sports Command Center (SCC) manages all matters related to the competitions held during the Gwangju 2015 Universiade. SCC works closely with the Main Operation Center (MOC), quickly delivering information and effectively responding to emergencies. If a match has to be delayed due to deteriorating weather conditions or safety and security problems, the technical delegate (TD) will decide whether the completion will carry on.

272 medal ceremonies will take place at 19 different venues of the final matches between 4 and 14 July.

All participants of the Gwangju 2015 Universiade will be able to enjoy a variety of cultural activities; the Opening Ceremony (3/7), the Closing Ceremony (14/7), the Youth Nanjing Festival (3-14/7), the Eve Festival (2/7), the Universiade Park (3-14/7), FISU Gala (2/7), and other cultural events in each venue (2-14/7).

On top of that, a number of tourism programmes such as a themed walking tour and a bicycle city tour will be provided.

The GUOC announced the ticket prices last February and is selling tickets by e-mail, fax, via the official website, and the on-site ticket offices.

Tickets for baseball, football, basketball, rhythmic gymnastics, and, swimming are popular so far. Baseball, football, basketball have always been top favorites, while rhythmic gymnastics have received the public’s attention since a Korean star gymnast Yeon-jae Son will participate in a competition.

(Source: GOUC 2015)