Haenam-gun Hosts Modern Pentathlon Korea Open International Competition... 11 Countries Participate

Over 600 Participants, Achievements in International Sports Marketing Strategy

An international modern pentathlon competition featuring participants from 11 countries and over 600 athletes will be held in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do.

According to the county on the 8th, the "2023 Haenam Korea Open International Competition and the 34th Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism National Modern Pentathlon Competition" will take place over six days from the 9th to the 14th at the Haenam Useul Sports Park area.

Haenam-gun Useul Stadium Panorama
[Photo by Haenam-gun]

This competition is the first international sports event held in Haenam, with delegations from 11 countries including South Korea, Nepal, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. It is expected that a total of about 3,600 people will visit Haenam during the event.

The county plans to establish a cooperative framework with the Asian Modern Pentathlon Confederation (AMPC) through this pilot event held as part of its internationalization strategy via sports marketing, aiming to expand it into a world-class competition in the future.

The modern pentathlon consists of five events: fencing, swimming, athletics, shooting, and equestrian. Haenam-gun has the infrastructure to host all events except equestrian at Useul Sports Park. The equestrian events for this competition will be held at the Armed Forces Sports Unit in Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk.

In particular, the Jo Oh-ryeon Swimming Pool within Useul Sports Park was designed with 8 lanes and a lane width of 2.5 meters, making it a facility well-suited for hosting international swimming competitions and receiving favorable reviews.

Additionally, there are dedicated facilities for athletics and fencing, and since Useul Stadium and the gymnasium are connected, there is the advantage of being able to conduct combined events (athletics + shooting) even during rainy weather.

Meanwhile, Haenam-gun plans to flexibly adjust the competition schedule according to disaster manuals to prevent disruptions caused by the heatwave and the approaching typhoon, while paying special attention to the safety management of the athletes.

County Governor Myeong Hyeon-gwan stated, “As this is the first international competition held here, it is expected to be a meaningful event showing significant progress in Haenam-gun’s international sports marketing strategy. Along with the successful hosting of this competition, we will actively attract various sports events in the future to maintain Haenam’s status as a sports marketing hub.”