POSCO 1% Nanum Foundation Opens eSports Center for People with Disabilities

Esports Training in Barrier-Free Environment... Setup in Pohang by September
Expecting National Esports Team for 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games

At the opening ceremony of the Disabled eSports Center held on the 5th at the Gwangyang National Sports Center in Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do, (from the seventh person on the left) Baek Seong-ho, Vice Chairman of the Gwangyang City Council, Park Jong-seon, Executive Vice Chairman of the Gwangyang Disabled Sports Association, Jeong Hong-gi, Director of the Gwangyang City Culture, Tourism and Environment Bureau, and Cheon Seong-hyeon, Secretary General of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation, are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by POSCO Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation announced on the 8th that it has established an e-sports training facility for people with disabilities at the Gwangyang National Sports Center in Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do.

According to the foundation, about 50 people, including Baek Seong-ho, Vice Chairman of the Gwangyang City Council, Jeong Hong-gi, Director of the Gwangyang City Tourism, Culture and Environment Bureau, Cheon Seong-hyun, Secretary General of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation, and Park Jong-seon, Executive Vice Chairman of the Gwangyang City Disabled Sports Association, attended the opening ceremony of the Gwangyang Disabled e-Sports Center held on the 5th to encourage the athletes with disabilities in training.

The Gwangyang Disabled e-Sports Center is equipped with 10 high-spec computers capable of hosting various e-sports games such as League of Legends and Battlegrounds. To enhance convenience for users with disabilities, mobile slopes and handrails were also installed.

The Gwangyang Disabled Sports Association plans to discover and nurture outstanding players among members of the Korea Disabled e-Sports Federation and hold friendly matches with e-sports players from other regions.

Jeong Hong-gi, Director of the Gwangyang City Tourism, Culture and Environment Bureau, stated, “We will provide various support so that people with disabilities can actively participate in the emerging sports field of e-sports.”

Cheon Seong-hyun, Secretary General of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation, said, “The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation is strengthening support projects for people with disabilities suitable for the digital age,” adding, “We will make practical contributions to nurturing disabled talents through the establishment of the Disabled e-Sports Center.”

Following Gwangyang, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation will establish a Disabled e-Sports Center in Pohang in September.

In the field of e-sports, people with disabilities compete fairly with non-disabled players. In particular, with e-sports being officially adopted as an event at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, the emergence of national representatives is also anticipated.

Meanwhile, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation is promoting projects such as ‘Hope Wings,’ which provides customized assistive devices for people with disabilities; ‘Hope Space,’ which improves facilities for the disabled; and ‘Meeting Becomes Art,’ which supports the popularization of disabled artists. This year, it is operating a VR job training center and a specialized digital academy for coding programs to enhance the employment capabilities of people with disabilities.