Nationwide Series of Competitions Held... Premium Courses with Scenic Beauty for Athletics and Marathon
Top-tier Sports Infrastructure... 4 Billion KRW Regional Economic Impact Last Year
Naju City in Jeollanam-do is revitalizing the region by attracting and hosting large-scale sports competitions.
Naju has firmly established itself as a sports tournament hub, featuring premium competition courses set against the scenic backdrop of the Yeongsan River, top-class sports facilities, comfortable lodging conditions, and the best and most refined cuisine in the Namdo region.
According to Naju City on the 28th, from late last year through February this year, a total of 39 teams and about 9,000 athletes honed their skills in Naju through winter training camps and stove league events.
In March, the full-scale opening of various sports competitions began.
Starting with the “20th Spring National Wheelchair Fencing Championship” held over two days from the 22nd to the 23rd at the Naju Sports Complex Multipurpose Gymnasium, the “43rd National Men’s and Women’s Inline Speed Skating Competition” took place from the 23rd to the 26th at the inline skating rink, where both athletes and spectators enjoyed thrilling speeds.
In April, when the full bloom of spring is felt in Naju, even larger-scale competitions will be held one after another.
On April 2nd and 3rd, the main stadium of the Sports Complex will host the Youth Sports Festival and the Jeollanam-do Athletics Representative Selection Competition for the National Sports Festival, with about 700 athletes from Jeollanam-do participating.
The first weekend, April 6th and 7th, will see the “Naju Yeongsan River Bicycle Competition” (sponsored by Mudeung Ilbo) and the “Naju Yeongsan River Marathon” (sponsored by Newsis) held consecutively at the Yeongsan River Riverside Sports Park and Naju Sports Complex, respectively.
For the Yeongsan River Marathon, over 3,000 pre-registered participants demonstrate the popularity of the Yeongsan River’s premium marathon course with its natural scenic beauty.
From April 20th to 26th, the “41st President’s Cup National Cycling Competition,” the largest national corporate cycling event, will embark on a seven-day journey.
Hosted and organized by the Korea Cycling Federation, this prestigious and authoritative competition is expected to attract about 700 cycling athletes nationwide to Naju.
The athletes are scheduled to stay in Naju prior to the competition for acclimatization training, which is expected to contribute to the local economy.
In May, the Gwangju MBC Yeongsan River Gran Fondo will take over the baton for intense racing. Following the successful inaugural event last May, it has garnered high expectations from cycling enthusiasts nationwide.
About 2,000 participants from across the country will compete fiercely on a 121 km course that passes through the Yeongsan River’s premium bike path and Naju’s major historical and cultural sites.
Following the Gran Fondo, from May 20th to 23rd, the “National Corporate Athletics Competition” will be held at the main stadium of the Sports Complex, with about 1,200 corporate track and field athletes heating up the athletics track.
Additionally, from June 5th to 11th, the “4th General Hong Beom-do Shooting Competition” will be held over seven days at the Jeonnam International Shooting Range located in Naju.
In October, the MBN National Naju Marathon and in November, the Geumseongsan Forest Trail Marathon are scheduled.
Yoon Byung-tae, Mayor of Naju, said, “Thanks to comprehensive sports marketing efforts such as hosting metropolitan and national-level sports competitions and attracting training camps last year, an economic inducement effect of about 4 billion KRW was recorded. We hope that the hosting of sports competitions will be a practical help to the local economy and tourism revitalization, and we ask restaurant and lodging business owners to improve their hospitality readiness and actively cooperate in providing comfortable and friendly services.”
Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr
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