Gurye-gun Gains Spotlight as a Premier Summer Training Camp Destination

17 Teams / Over 5,000 Athletes Visiting Gurye-gun for a Month-long Training Camp

Breaking Through the Slump During the 2020-2021 COVID Pandemic and Returning to Normal Track

[Asia Economy] Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that after efforts to attract summer training teams following the COVID-19 pandemic, it has achieved the record of hosting 17 teams and over 5,000 trainees since July.

Notably, the athletics team of Wonju City Hall, led by former national representative athlete and coach Lee Jin-il, who achieved two consecutive wins in the 800m at the Asian Games, visited Gurye-gun, drawing attention.

From the 21st, a stove league match for middle school soccer teams was held, with a total of 6 teams and about 300 participants competing fiercely, sweating heavily despite the heat exceeding 32 degrees Celsius.

Until now, Gurye-gun’s record of attracting training teams had significantly decreased due to the impact of COVID-19.

In 2019, the total number of participants was 38,000; in 2020, 25,000; and in 2021, about 7,200, showing a noticeable downward trend.

With the relaxation of quarantine guidelines in May, the number of training teams gradually increased, and in 2022, it has already surpassed 81 teams and 18,000 participants, showing more than double the results compared to previous years.

This is expected to generate about 1.7 billion KRW in regional economic ripple effects this year.

Kim Soon-ho, the mayor of Gurye-gun, stated, “Attracting training teams brings great economic benefits with little investment and greatly helps the local economy, so we plan to successfully attract training teams within the manageable scope until the winter period ending in February next year.”

He added, “Now, Gurye will become a leading entity in the sports industry and will do its best to expand and develop the sports industry.”

Meanwhile, Gurye-gun has won awards for three consecutive years in the Jeollanam-do training team attraction performance evaluation: the Excellence Award in 2020, the Encouragement Award in 2021, and the Encouragement Award again in 2022.

Gurye = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yuk Mi-seok hss79@asiae.co.kr