[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is shedding its label as a barren area for sports facilities and is reborn as a healthy city for recreational sports.
This is because a large and small-scale recreational sports infrastructure, including Jinwol Complex Stadium, Seungchon Park Golf Course, and National Sports Center, is being extensively established within the district.
According to Nam-gu on the 7th, the completion ceremony for Jinwol Complex Stadium will be held on the 14th in Jinwol-dong. It is also a day that resolves a long-standing wish of the sports community as well as Nam-gu residents.
Jinwol Complex Stadium holds great significance as the first comprehensive stadium in the district, cherished for 27 years since the opening of Nam-gu Office after the western district was divided in 1995.
District Mayor Kim Byung-nae secured 8.6 billion KRW in project funds through persistent efforts, including proposing the sequential promotion of the project to Gwangju City, to push forward the Jinwol Complex Stadium construction project, which had been stalled due to budget issues, laying the foundation for the revitalization of recreational sports.
In September, Seungchon Park Golf Course, the most beautiful and best-equipped facility in the Gwangju area, opened. It serves as a facility for seniors' leisure activities and health promotion, attracting many visitors including members of the local park golf club and residents.
Next year, construction will begin near Jinwol Complex Stadium next to the multipurpose gymnasium in Jinwol-dong for another sports facility.
This is to build the National Sports Center, promoted as a Living SOC complex project.
Nam-gu National Sports Center will be newly constructed on a 3,000㎡ site with two floors above ground, with an investment of about 5.7 billion KRW.
It will offer various sports activities such as table tennis and badminton, and to facilitate parking convenience for facility users and nearby residents, 69 parking spaces will be installed in the residential parking lot. Completion is expected around December next year.
Once Nam-gu National Sports Center is built, a sports town belt connecting the multipurpose gymnasium, Jinwol Complex Stadium, and Gwangju International Tennis Stadium will be completed.
Bandaevi Sports Center, being built in Wolsan Neighborhood Park, is scheduled for completion in June next year. With an investment of 15 billion KRW, it is being constructed as a top-level facility nationwide for the integration of people with disabilities and non-disabled people, currently at about 20% progress.
The advantage of this facility is that visitors can enjoy swimming indoors while viewing Mudeungsan Mountain, and it includes spaces for a gym, basketball court, boccia court (a ball-throwing sport), meditation room and hobby room for quiet activities, and spaces for various programs such as rehabilitation therapy and yoga.
Next to Bandaevi Sports Center, a healing rest area camping site will be prepared with an investment of 1.9 billion KRW. This allows residents to enjoy a leisurely life watching the night sky in the city without needing to travel to other areas for camping.
A Nam-gu official stated, “We will accelerate efforts to create a healthy and happy city where everyone can enjoy a rich life, including sports activities and camping life.”
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