Pohang City Goes All Out Preparing for the ‘Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival’ Held in Pohang for the First Time in 12 Years!

Pre-Event, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Marine Sports, and Various Cultural Events Offer a Rich Variety of Attractions

Pohang City, Emblem of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival Held in Pohang for the First Time in 12 Years.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City, Gyeongbuk Province, is putting all its efforts into preparing for the ‘60th Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival,’ which will be held from July 15 to 18, as the event is just over a week away.

About 100 days before the event, on March 30, Pohang City began preparations with the launch ceremony of the Provincial Sports Festival Organizing Committee at the Pohang Culture and Arts Center. Since then, they have steadily proceeded with preparation activities such as progress report meetings, preparations for the opening and closing ceremonies’ public events, volunteer recruitment, and safety inspections of the venues.

They have established a close cooperative system with Gyeongbuk Province and city and provincial sports councils, planning to successfully hold the Provincial Sports Festival for the first time in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To efficiently promote the festival and encourage citizen participation, the city opened an official website in June and is providing comprehensive information and actively promoting the event from the preparation stage through to its conclusion.

The highlight of the festival, the torch relay, will begin with the lighting of the flame at Homigot in Pohang and Tohamsan in Gyeongju. The relay will tour Pohang’s unique tourist sites and involve citizens from all walks of life. Alongside the torch lighting ceremony, a pre-event festival titled ‘Flame of Hope, A New Beginning’ will be held by the Hyeongsan River near the Pohang Canal to pray for the success of the Provincial Sports Festival.

Moreover, during the event period, marine leisure sports and various cultural performances will take place. At the auxiliary event venues within the comprehensive stadium, visitors can enjoy a metaverse experience center, promotional and sales booths for excellent local seafood and agricultural specialties, an exhibition and catering event featuring Pohang’s 10 signature flavors, adding a variety of attractions, food, and entertainment.

Opening Ceremony Drone.

For the festival’s highlights?the opening and closing ceremonies’ public events and the torch relay?the city signed a production service contract with KBS Art Vision. Under the theme ‘Pohang, the Center of a Great Transition and Leap Forward Era, Wings of Hope,’ the program will include a sea torch relay, drone light and multimedia shows, and congratulatory performances by top domestic popular singers such as Lee Chan-won, Ailee, Oh My Girl, and Jeon Yu-jin. The plan is to elevate the sports festival into a cultural festival for the 3 million residents with a more substantial and differentiated program than any previous event.

Flower sculptures are being installed at major locations such as the comprehensive stadium area, Ogeori intersection, and Yeongildae Beach, along with various promotional materials like the event mascot and banners along the roadsides to create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors.

To ensure flawless event operation, the city is completing a full remodeling project with a total budget of 24.5 billion KRW, including 8 billion KRW in national and local government funds. This includes painting and waterproofing inside and outside the comprehensive stadium, facility improvements such as canopy, windows, offices, and restrooms in the main stand, replacement of the torch stand, and installation of sports equipment. Additionally, perfect repairs and official certifications of 17 sports venues, including the indoor swimming pool, Pohang shooting range, and baseball stadium, are underway to improve performance and ensure that records in each sport are officially recognized.

The city has established a cooperative system with key local agencies such as the police and fire departments. Medical support teams and ambulances will be deployed at each venue, and a comprehensive festival control room will be set up and operated within the comprehensive stadium to ensure thorough safety management.

Mayor Kang-deok Lee stated, “Since the Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival is being held in Pohang again after 12 years, we will not only take a step forward as a city but also create a grand unification event that brings together 3 million residents as one.” He added, “We will do our best to prepare so that this festival becomes a cultural sports event enjoyed by all residents after the COVID-19 pandemic and contributes to revitalizing the local economy.”

The 60th Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival, held in Pohang for the first time in 12 years under the slogan ‘Dream of East Sea Pohang, From Gyeongbuk to the World,’ has already been smoothly conducting preliminary matches for seven sports including badminton, baseball, and golf since June 17. The main competitions for all sports such as athletics, basketball, volleyball, and taekwondo will be held from July 15 to 18 at the Pohang Comprehensive Stadium and other respective venues.