Gwangju Nam-gu Completes 'Bandabi Sports Center' for Integration of Disabled and Non-Disabled

Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City has completed the construction of the Bandabi Sports Center, a cornerstone for the promotion of sports for people with disabilities, and has begun preparations for its official operation.

In particular, the Bandabi Sports Center, built with the nation’s top facilities, is expected to become a symbolic space where people with and without disabilities can freely enjoy physical activities in their daily lives and unite as one.

According to Nam-gu on the 5th, the completion ceremony for the Bandabi Sports Center will be held at 2 p.m. on the 15th in the parking lot of the Bandabi Sports Center at Wolsan Neighborhood Park. It has been about 22 months since the groundbreaking in March 2022.

About 300 people are expected to attend the ceremony, including Kim Byeong-nae, the district mayor, Kang Ki-jung, the mayor of Gwangju, local members of the National Assembly and local councilors, sports organization officials, and residents.

The Nam-gu Bandabi Sports Center was constructed with a project cost of 16.3 billion KRW and consists of one basement floor and two above-ground floors.

On the first floor, a swimming pool and gymnasium with full glass windows on the front and sides have been installed, and a caf? is expected to be set up soon.

The second floor will be filled with a meditation room and hobby room where visitors can enjoy natural scenery and reflect, as well as a multipurpose room.

Additionally, the basement floor houses a fitness center for physical training and an extra multipurpose space.

Throughout the Nam-gu Bandabi Sports Center, there are clear signs of great effort put into site selection and the arrangement of auxiliary facilities to ensure that people with disabilities and residents can use the facilities without inconvenience.

District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae worked hard every weekend with staff to find the construction site throughout the district to build the best Bandabi Sports Center in the country and to save on land purchase costs.

The reason for selecting Wolsan Neighborhood Park was that the land is owned by both Gwangju City and the district office, and its elevated location offers a panoramic view of Mudeungsan Mountain.

Along with this, the decision to place the swimming pool on the first floor and use full glass windows also reflects meticulous administration.

Most swimming pools are located underground, which results in a humid atmosphere and unpleasant chlorine smell; this was a measure to minimize such discomfort.

The Nam-gu Bandabi Sports Center is scheduled to undergo a temporary operation period until February and officially open in March.

District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae said, "Since there were no expenses required for land acquisition, the entire project budget of 16.3 billion KRW could be invested solely in the Bandabi Sports Center facilities. We hope that everyone will enjoy swimming and other activities throughout the year, rain or snow, while enjoying the view of Mudeungsan at the finest Bandabi Sports Center in the nation."