Chief organizer vows to bring costs under control
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Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC) President Yoon Jang-hyun
By Nam Hyun-woo
The 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade is in line with global initiatives to rein in the snowballing costs of holding mega sports events, its organizing committee chief said.
“Holding the Universiade in a simple, but sincere way is our organizing committee's ultimate goal,” Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC) President Yoon Jang-hyun said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The Gwangju Universiade will kick off its 12-day run from July 3. Some 14,000 athletes from 170 countries are expected to visit the city, which will be the third Korean city to host the Universiade.
“The organizing committee has been focusing on cutting costs to not burden the municipal finances,” said Yoon who is also the mayor of Gwangju. Yoon co-chairs the committee with Kim Hwang-sik.
The total budget for the Universiade is 685.7 billion won. The central government will shoulder 218.6 billion won and the rest will be come from municipal government coffers. The amount is noticeably smaller than the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics which cost 11.4 trillion won.
The organizing committee has been striving to minimize building new facilities since they earned the right to host the Universiade in 2009.
The organizers prepared a total of 70 facilities ― 38 competition venues and 32 training venues. Three are currently under construction and the remaining 67 are existing facilities under renovation.
“One of our mottos for the Universiade is ecoversiade,” said Yoon. “By renovating 67 facilities, the organizing committee seeks to host an eco-friendly and economical event.”
The three facilities under construction are Nambu University International Aquatics Center, Kwangju Women's University Universiade Gymnasium and Gwangju International Archery Center. The GUOC said the aquatics center and gymnasium are now over 90 percent complete, adding that the archery center and other facilities under renovation will be completed by June. After the venues are completed, test events for 16 sports are scheduled from April, inviting some 9,630 athletes from across the world.
Yoon said the GUOC has had more than 20 meetings with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) for the past three years in order to overcome the committee's poor fiscal status and to garner full marketing rights for the Universiade.
“It is an extremely rare case that an organizing committee for an international sports competition has 100 percent marketing rights and revenue,” said Yoon.
Though Yoon was confident in hosting the event successfully, concerns are still lingering whether the Gwangju Universiade will follow in the footsteps of the Incheon Asian Games last year, which became a subject of criticism for its poor management.
Yoon stressed that having quality volunteers will help hosting the event successfully.
“The 2012 London Olympics is complimented for its volunteers making the Games truly happen. I believe that could be a good role model for the Gwangju Universiade,” Yoon said.
The organizers estimate that they need some 10,000 to 15,000 volunteers for the Universiade. The GUOC has been running institutions for nurturing eligible volunteers since 2010, and selected some 12,000 out of 60,000 applicants to provide various services during the Universiade.
When the party is over
For the money-strapped GUOC, creating a post-Universiade economic effect is as important as organizing the event with financial gain.
According to a 2014 Bank of Korea report, an estimated 1.9 trillion-won investment, which involves input from the Gwangju government and other private businesses, will create 3.7 trillion won in production, 1.5 trillion won in value-added costs and 33,000 jobs.
The report also predicted that the revenue generated from tourists visiting the Gwangju Universiade will likely reach some 100 billion won.
“Other than that, Gwangju has improved its infrastructure and transportation network in line with a series of urban regenerating projects to host the Universiade,” Yoon said. “This will significantly contribute to improving the local economy and the life of local citizens.”
Yoon also expects that the Universiade will expand Gwangju’s exposure to the world, lifting his city’s international recognition and status.
Aside from the economic aspects, Yoon expressed his hope that hosting the Universiade can also contribute to thawing chilly inter-Korean relations.
On March 3, North Korea submitted its official application to the FISU and informed that it will send a 108-member delegation to Gwangju. The news raised expectations that the athletes from the two Koreas could compete as a single nation for the first time since 1991. The GUOC has been trying to form a unified team, but efforts foundered as the government abruptly said that “it is inappropriate.”
“The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the separation of the two Koreas. I hope the Universiade can serve as a stepping stone for greater exchanges between South and North Korea through sports,” Yoon said.
“Forming a joint team is a matter that should be pushed forward in line with the government policy. Thus, the GUOC will give its full efforts until the very last moment, conferring continuously with the government and international organizations such as the United Nations and the FISU.”
With 100 days remaining before the Universiade’s start, Yoon said he is urging various communities to make an effort toward a successful hosting of the event.
“The Summer Universiade is more than a sporting event, but a festivity for university students across the globe,” he said. “I will do my utmost to make the Universiade a stage where participants can display their passion and sportsmanship.”