Gumi Soars as a Sports City... To Be Completed with the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships

2024: Renaissance of Gumi Sports, 2025: Beginning of Global Challenges
2025: Year of the Asian Athletics Championships, Rising as a Global Sports City

The sports community of Gumi City, Gyeongbuk Province, is putting last year's brilliant achievements behind and has ambitious plans to make 2025, the Year of the Eulsa, a pivotal year marking the first step toward a new leap for Gumi sports. To this end, the entire community of Gumi City, not just the sports sector, is making every effort to prepare thoroughly for an important year that will serve as a 'turning point' in the city's development. Now, let's reflect on the glory of Gumi sports last year and explore what Gumi City must accomplish this year.

Aerial view of the auxiliary stadium air dome.
[Photo by Gumi City]

◆ 2024, Gumi Sports Shining with Achievements

2024 was a shining year in the history of Gumi sports. In May, Gumi City successfully hosted the ‘62nd Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival,’ attracting 35,000 spectators and achieving the honor of the Gumi City team winning the overall championship for the first time in six years. Following this, the ‘26th Gyeongsangbuk-do Disabled Sports Festival’ and the ‘34th Gyeongbuk Provincial Citizens’ Sports Festival’ were also safely concluded, and in August, the ‘32nd Korea-China-Japan Junior Comprehensive Sports Competition’ further enhanced the city’s capability in managing international events.

Additionally, after five years since 2019, the ‘2024 Gumi Citizens Marathon’ was successfully held, and the ‘7 Continents Highest Peak Expedition Team’ achieved the monumental record of summiting the highest peaks on all seven continents for the first time in 12 years. Throughout the year, Gumi’s sports community hosted 19 national-level competitions and over 30 club-level events across various sports, maintaining a vigorous pace.

2025 Gumi Park Chung-hee Marathon Poster.
Photo by Gumi City

◆ Countdown to the Successful Hosting of the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships

2025 is the year for hosting the ‘Gumi Asian Athletics Championships.’ Leveraging its experience in hosting large-scale events, Gumi City plans to thoroughly prepare and successfully conclude the event, establishing itself as a global sports city.

In particular, in the first half of this year, the city will hold the ‘2025 Gumi Park Chung-hee Marathon’ and the ‘2025 Gumi National Athletics Competition’ to raise citizens’ interest in athletics and create a successful event atmosphere. The ‘2025 Gumi Park Chung-hee Marathon,’ scheduled for March 2, will offer participants an unforgettable experience along a beautiful course by the Nakdong River (half marathon, 10km, 5km). Following this, the ‘2025 Gumi National Athletics Competition’ in April is expected to further elevate the excitement leading up to the Asian Athletics Championships.

◆ Hosting the 2025 Gyeongbuk Senior Citizens Sports Festival

Last year, Gumi City successfully hosted the ‘62nd Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival,’ the ‘26th Gyeongsangbuk-do Disabled Sports Festival,’ and the ‘34th Gyeongbuk Provincial Citizens’ Sports Festival’ consecutively. This year, the city will conclude the grand series of Gyeongbuk comprehensive sports festivals that began last year by hosting the ‘2025 Gyeongbuk Senior Citizens Sports Festival.’

The event will take place over two days from April 9 to 10, with approximately 4,000 senior athletes from 22 cities and counties participating in 11 sports, including gateball, badminton, and table tennis, competing in good spirit.

◆ Hosting the 2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships

The ‘2025 Gumi Asian Athletics Championships,’ a large-scale international sports festival with participation from 45 Asian countries and over 1,200 athletes, will be held for five days from May 27 to 31. Gumi City aims for flawless event management based on its rich experience hosting the 102nd National Sports Festival, the 62nd Gyeongbuk Provincial Sports Festival, and the 32nd Korea-China-Japan Junior Comprehensive Sports Competition. This event will also serve as an opportunity to promote Gumi’s culture, tourism, and cuisine, further enhancing the city’s brand image.

◆ Contributing to Local Economic Revitalization by Hosting 18 National-Level Sports Competitions Throughout the Year

This year, Gumi City plans to host 18 national-level sports competitions to contribute to local economic revitalization. Starting with the ‘2025 Gumi Park Chung-hee Marathon,’ various prestigious events such as the ‘2025 Gumi National Athletics Competition,’ the ‘2nd Presidential Cup National Park Golf Competition,’ and the ‘2025 U-15 National Youth Baseball Tournament’ will be held. Additionally, lifestyle sports events like the ‘18th National Martial Arts Festival,’ the ‘15th Gumi Saemaeul Cup Tennis Tournament,’ and the ‘19th Yes Gumi Cup National Futsal Tournament’ will expand the sports base and invigorate local businesses.

Gumi Civic Stadium overview.
Photo by Gumi City

◆ Establishing a Foundation for Regional Sports Development through Continuous Sports Facility Infrastructure Construction

To host international events such as the Asian Athletics Championships, Gumi City replaced the athletic tracks of the main and auxiliary stadiums at the Citizen’s Sports Complex with world athletics federation (WA) certified elastic urethane tracks. In September last year, the city obtained Class 1 certification from the World Athletics Federation, recognizing it as the best international competition facility in Korea. Consequently, Gumi City is qualified to host all international athletics competitions, and records set on this track are recognized as world records. Notably, the internationally certified Grade 1 urethane track is unique to Gumi Citizen’s Sports Complex in Korea.

The city is also undertaking renovation projects across sports facilities, including replacing LED lighting towers and installing electronic scoreboards at the Citizen’s Sports Complex, as well as upgrading heating and cooling systems at the Park Chung-hee Gymnasium. These facility improvements are expected to contribute not only to the successful hosting of the 2025 event but also to the activation of sports tourism through attracting various domestic and international competitions in the future. Furthermore, in the second half of this year, construction is set to begin on an air dome specialized for athletics training camps, and infrastructure development is underway for various sports facilities such as the Sports Climbing Center (within Dongnak Park), an urban pump track (in Gupo-dong), and the Gupyeong National Sports Center (in Gupyeong-dong), laying the foundation for sports development.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho of Gumi City stated, “Gumi sports achieved remarkable results in 2024,” and expressed a grand vision, saying, “Through the successful hosting of the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships, we will elevate Gumi to a global sports city.”