Gurye-gun to Host the 63rd Jeonnam Sports Festival in 2024

Citizens and Sports Club Members Unite in Support of Hosting Bid

[Gurye=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yuk Miseok] Jeollanam-do Gurye-gun (Governor Kim Sun-ho) and the Gurye-gun Sports Council announced on the 6th that they are bidding to host the 63rd Jeonnam Sports Festival to be held in 2024.

Yeonggwang-gun, which has been unable to hold the Jeonnam Sports Festival due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, has also entered the bidding, making competition between the two local governments inevitable.

Gurye-gun and the Sports Council submitted their application to host the 63rd Jeonnam Sports Festival in 2024 to the Jeonnam Sports Council last month.

The Jeonnam Sports Council dispatched a total of 10 inspection team members, including an inspection team and a sports council support team, to Yeonggwang-gun on the 2nd and Gurye-gun on the 3rd to conduct on-site inspections.

The inspection included a presentation of the bid proposal report PPT, listening to opinions and Q&A related to the bid application, and on-site visits to venues for each sport organization.

The Jeonnam Sports Council plans to hold a board meeting on the 16th to finalize the host city.

Yeonggwang-gun hosted the 59th Jeonnam Sports Festival last year after the 48th event in 2009, but due to the COVID-19 situation, the 60th event was postponed from April to September and eventually canceled this year.

On the other hand, Gurye-gun successfully hosted the 51st Jeonnam Sports Festival in 2012 and challenged to host the 62nd Jeonnam Sports Festival but was unsuccessful.

Gurye-gun has strengths in bidding with its accumulated know-how from successfully hosting national competitions such as the international triathlon, soccer, Ssireum (Korean wrestling), and badminton, along with about 20,000 volunteers, sports facility infrastructure for 20 sports venues, and accommodation facilities.

At the on-site inspection for the bid, sports enthusiasts, social organizations, and residents participated together, showing a strong determination to secure the hosting rights this time.

Kim Sun-ho, Governor of Gurye-gun, emphasized, “Our county is a sports city where winter training teams for each sport visit every year due to continuous sports facility improvement projects and the establishment of infrastructure such as gymnasiums. We want to create a stepping stone for Gurye to leap forward through the 63rd Jeonnam Sports Festival together with residents who were hurt by last year’s massive flood damage.”

Meanwhile, the 63rd Jeonnam Sports Festival will be held in April 2024.

This four-day intense competition will feature 22 sports, including athletics and soccer, with over 23,000 participants.

Gurye=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yuk Miseok kun5783@asiae.co.kr