40 Representatives of the Association to Share Preparation Updates During 3-Day Visit
Lee Joonseung, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs: "Cooperation to Support Overseas Korean Athletes"
The World Korean Sports Association will visit Busan, where this year’s National Sports Festival will be held.
The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced that 40 representatives, including presidents and executives of Korean sports associations from 17 countries under the World Korean Sports Association, will visit Busan for three days from April 22 to 24. The purpose of the visit is to share updates on the preparations for the National Sports Festival, which will be held in Busan from October 17 to 23, and to cooperate on ways to support overseas Korean athletes.
On the first day of the visit, April 22, a meeting of National Sports Festival officials and a welcome dinner hosted by the Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Busan will be held at the Lotte Hotel Busan.
At 4:30 p.m. on the same day, during the meeting of National Sports Festival officials, the city will share the status of its preparations for the festival and plans to support overseas Korean athletes with the World Korean Sports Association. In particular, the city is making thorough preparations for accommodation facilities, providing transportation support, and hosting a welcome dinner for all overseas Korean athletes visiting Busan during the festival to ensure their comfort.
From 6 p.m., a welcome dinner hosted by the Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs will follow. Through this dinner, the city aims to strengthen its friendship with the World Korean Sports Association and promote the unique charms of Busan.
To this end, the dinner will feature Busan cuisine (B-FOOD) as a specialty menu. B-FOOD consists of recipes developed by the city to globalize Busan’s cuisine, and the Lotte Hotel Busan will offer these as hotel specialty dishes.
On the second day, April 23, the delegation will visit the main venue of the National Sports Festival, the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, and inspect the accommodation facilities where overseas Korean athletes will stay.
The World Korean Sports Association will directly check the preparations at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, as well as at the sports venues (soccer and tennis) where overseas Korean athletes will compete. The city plans to explain the status of preparations at the stadiums, including the ongoing renovations at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium for the festival.
The delegation will also inspect the accommodation facilities to be used during the festival. The city has provided information on accommodation facilities early on and arranged for affordable training center accommodations to ensure that overseas Korean athletes have no difficulty securing lodging. All overseas Korean athletes have already secured accommodation for the duration of the National Sports Festival.
On the final day, April 24, the city will support the World Korean Sports Association’s own event, an extraordinary general meeting, and conclude the association’s visit to Busan with a farewell luncheon.
Lee Joonseung, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Busan, stated, "During the visit of the World Korean Sports Association, we will explain the status of preparations for the National Sports Festival and, through mutual discussions, develop better ways to support overseas Korean athletes. We will also work to widely promote the appeal of Busan as a global hub city so that many overseas Korean athletes will come to Busan."
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