Opening of Gangnam Sports Climbing Center with dimensions of 40m width x 18m height at Daechi Retarding Basin Sports Park in Gangnam-gu
Opening ceremony and 2023 National Sports Climbing Team Selection Competition held on the 7th
Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jo Seongmyeong) is opening the largest sports climbing center in the nation, the ‘Gangnam Sports Climbing Center,’ at Daechi Retarding Basin Sports Park (20-30, Yeoksam-ro 107-gil) on the 7th.
The artificial climbing wall installed during the creation of Daechi Retarding Basin Sports Park in 2008 had become outdated and was small in scale (length 20m, height 5~15m), resulting in significantly low usage rates. Accordingly, last year the existing climbing wall was demolished and replaced with the largest artificial climbing wall in the country, measuring 40m in width and 18m in height, capable of hosting international competitions.
The climbing wall is designed to accommodate all sports climbing disciplines: ▲Speed (a competition to climb a 15m wall as fast as possible), ▲Lead (a competition to climb as high as possible on a 15m inclined wall within 6 minutes, with the wall angle ranging approximately from 90 to 180 degrees), and ▲Bouldering (a competition to climb 4~5m walls by solving various difficulty problems). The speed wall on the left was constructed according to international standards, with a height of 15m, an inclination of 95 degrees, and holds meeting international regulations. The lead wall on the right was benchmarked after the competition wall used in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, allowing more than 25 routes to be climbed simultaneously, and the lower section was made for bouldering.
The center’s opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on the 7th. To celebrate the opening, Korea’s top mountaineer Captain Um Hong-gil will participate and give a congratulatory speech, and the nation’s top sports climbing national team athletes are expected to attend.
On the same day at 11 a.m., the ‘43rd National Sports Climbing Championships,’ featuring the country’s top athletes, will take place. This three-day competition also serves as the national team selection event for the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled for October, making it the largest competition in Korea. Admission to this event is free for all spectators.
The center will be operated by the Korea Alpine Federation, a full member organization of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), and after a trial operation following the competition, it will officially open on the 14th. Operating hours are from Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. A single-use ticket allows for 2 hours of use, with fees set at 3,000 KRW on weekdays and 4,000 KRW on weekends. Additionally, during the trial operation, various training programs considering different levels and groups will be offered 2 to 3 times a week.
Jo Seongmyeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “We have created an excellent climbing wall, the largest in the nation, in an open outdoor space so that people can enjoy climbing,” and added, “We will continue to create environments where residents can enjoy sports in their daily lives.”
Gangbuk-gu appoints athlete Kim Ja-in as promotional ambassador on the 31st of last month
Kim Ja-in’s name derived from Insubong in Gangbuk-gu... Trained in Beondong in early 20s
World-class climber Kim Ja-in joins forces with renowned mountaineer Um Hong-gil to boost Gangbuk-gu promotion
Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) has appointed ‘Climbing Queen Kim Ja-in’ as its promotional ambassador.
Kim Ja-in is a representative rock climbing athlete of South Korea, also known by nicknames such as ‘Ballerina on the Rock’ and ‘Climbing Queen.’
In 2009, Kim Ja-in achieved her first World Cup lead victory at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup, and with a total of 30 World Cup wins (29 in lead, 1 in bouldering), she dominated the global stage with overwhelming skill.
She also won the overall championship at the 2012 World Championships in France and the lead category at the 2014 World Championships in Spain, becoming the first Korean to reach the pinnacle of sports climbing worldwide. Furthermore, she earned a bronze medal in the combined event at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, marking a milestone in Korean sports climbing history.
The district appointed Kim Ja-in as promotional ambassador considering her deep ties with Gangbuk-gu: the ‘In’ in her name comes from Insubong located in Gangbuk-gu, and she trained in an indoor climbing gym in Beondong, Gangbuk-gu, during her early 20s, which marked the beginning of her prime.
Accordingly, Gangbuk-gu now has two promotional ambassadors: world-renowned mountaineer Captain Um Hong-gil and world-class climber Kim Ja-in.
Lee Soon-hee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “Gangbuk-gu is loved by many climbers due to climbing mecca Insubong and the Bukhansan International Climbing Center,” and added, “We will leverage these strengths to widely promote Gangbuk-gu together with athlete Kim Ja-in.”
Kim Ja-in is scheduled to open a climbing center around Suyu Station in April.
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