The Spirit of Sharing and Care in Gwangju:
Championing Peace, Eco-Friendliness, and ODA
Archery Quizzes, Cheering Messages, Mascots, and More to Boost Event Excitement
The "Gwangju 2025 Hyundai World Archery Championships," a festival for archers worldwide, is now just 150 days away as of the 8th.
The Gwangju City Government and the Organizing Committee for the 2025 World Archery Championships and World Para Archery Championships (hereafter referred to as the Organizing Committee) have adopted "The Echo of Peace" as the slogan, aiming for sustainable archery development through core strategies centered on peace, eco-friendliness, and support for archery technology in underdeveloped countries (ODA).
In particular, Gwangju, renowned as the world’s leading archery city, is spreading the spirit of sharing and care by supporting archers from underdeveloped countries. The 5.18 Democracy Square, where the championship finals will be held, is a symbolic site of democracy and human rights, further emphasizing the values of democracy and peace and promoting these values through sports.
◇ Core Strategies: "Eco-Friendly and ODA" = The Gwangju World Archery Championships will be held as an eco-friendly event and as an ODA event supporting archery technology in underdeveloped countries. With the goal of "No! Plastic, Yes! 966!", the event will implement eco-friendly practices. The use of disposable plastic containers and printed paper materials will be restricted at the venues to reduce the carbon footprint, aiming to save 966 30-year-old pine trees as a model for sustainable eco-friendly events.
Participants who bring their own tumblers will be provided with drinking water from water dispensers installed at the competition and practice venues, and paper promotional materials will be replaced with online materials linked via QR codes during the event.
Additionally, the city will promote the Gwangju spirit of sharing and care by supporting archers from underdeveloped countries. Through public-private cooperation, the city plans to provide support for participation fees, transportation, accommodation, and technical staff for archers from these countries.
◇ Boosting Event Excitement = On the 21st of last month, Gwangju City sent out official invitations containing the event schedule, accommodation and transportation information, and venue details. As of the 1st, preliminary entries for the World Archery Championships include 347 athletes and officials (team managers, coaches, medical staff, etc.) from 28 countries, while the World Para Archery Championships have 156 athletes and officials from 13 countries registered.
To boost excitement and public interest, the city will host various events such as archery-related quizzes, cheering messages, hands-on experiences, and traveling events until September. On Children's Day in May and during Citizens' Day events, archery experiences and participation events related to the championships will be held with the mascot E-Pea, inspired by the Mudeungsan columnar joints, and "traveling events" will also be conducted in other regions including the metropolitan area.
◇ "Zero Inconvenience" Support Tasks = The city is meticulously reviewing 38 support tasks across eight areas: general support, culture and tourism, publicity, transportation measures, health and sanitation, urban landscape, citizen participation, and event safety. In particular, the city will repair road surfaces, lanes, and facilities between the competition venues and accommodation, and check major roads and signposts to ensure that participating athletes and tourists visiting Gwangju experience no inconvenience.
◇ Venue Inspection = For the preliminary and main competitions, 3.8 billion KRW will be invested by June to ensure that the Gwangju International Archery Field meets the World Archery Federation (WA) standards.
The width of the archery field will be expanded by 20 meters, from the current 210 meters by 10 meters on each side, and multipurpose spaces such as equipment storage rooms will be created to help athletes perform at their best. In addition, facilities for people with disabilities, such as dedicated areas for wheelchair users, will be greatly expanded to ensure that all spectators can enjoy the competitions comfortably.
With the safety of participants and spectators as the top priority, a thorough safety inspection of the venue facilities will be conducted, and safety management systems such as emergency medical services and evacuation routes will be established.
◇ Pre-Event in June = Ahead of the World Archery Championships, the "Presidential National Men's and Women's Archery Competition," a pre-event, will be held in Gwangju in June. From June 24 to 29, the pre-event will take place at the Gwangju International Archery Field and 5.18 Democracy Square, providing an opportunity to check the facilities and operations in advance to ensure the smooth running of the World Archery Championships.
Kim Seongbae, Director of Culture and Sports, said, "As this is a globally anticipated event, the Gwangju City Government and the Organizing Committee are working closely together to ensure thorough preparations. In celebration of the 2025 Visit Gwangju Year, we will create an event that people from around the world can come to Gwangju and enjoy."
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