Ulsan City’s Canoe Slalom Stadium Project Enters Full Swing

Construction of Korea’s First International-Standard Canoe Slalom Stadium in Ulsan Sports Park
34,000-Square-Meter Site, Seating for Up to 15,000 Spectators

The construction of South Korea's first canoe slalom stadium built to international standards, a project led by Ulsan City, has entered full swing.

Beginning with a benchmarking visit to the Kasai Canoe Slalom Center in Tokyo, Japan, in January last year, the city launched a basic planning and feasibility study in August of the same year. In September, Ulsan signed agreements with the International Canoe Federation, the Korea Canoe Federation, and the Asian Canoe Confederation, and this September, it finalized the relocation of the Asian Canoe Confederation headquarters to Ulsan.

With the completion of the feasibility study and the confirmation of the construction plan, only the design phase remains before the project officially begins.

According to the construction plan, the canoe slalom stadium will be built on a 34,000-square-meter site within Ulsan Sports Park in Nam-gu, with a total project cost of 58 billion won (50% national funding, 50% local funding).

The stadium will meet international standards (length 150-400 meters, 18-25 gates/obstacles) and will be constructed with a length of 260 meters and a width of 15 meters. It will also include a support facility with two basement levels and four above-ground floors, totaling 1,800 square meters. The seating area is planned to accommodate up to 15,000 spectators.

Aerial View Rendering of the Canoe Slalom Stadium (Draft).

The support facility will not only feature dedicated spaces for national team and elite athlete training, but will also include conference rooms, amenities, and offices, making it widely accessible for the general public and community sports enthusiasts.

Notably, the stadium’s urban location will allow for a variety of sports activities, including whitewater rafting, a water rescue training center, an ice rink, an outdoor swimming pool, and an indoor canoe training facility.

Ulsan Sports Park already houses large-scale sports facilities such as soccer fields, baseball stadiums, and tennis courts, allowing for shared use of infrastructure like parking lots. This is expected to reduce costs and create synergy effects.

In addition, with the opening of the Ulsan-Yangsan-Busan metropolitan railway and Ulsan Urban Rail Line 1 tram, residents of neighboring cities will have easy access, positioning the area as a nationwide sports hub.

Canoeing is primarily an outdoor summer sport, and there is a significant shortage of winter training facilities in Korea. The indoor canoe training facility to be built within the support center will enable year-round training, making it a sought-after location for winter training camps.

Furthermore, when combined with the Munsu Baseball Stadium Youth Hostel (82 rooms, capacity for 300 people), scheduled for completion in 2027, the facility will be able to provide accommodation for teams, further enhancing its competitiveness in attracting international competitions and training camps.

Ulsan City has already secured a budget of 200 million won for the canoe slalom stadium in the 2026 government budget proposal and is making every effort to secure an additional 1 billion won in national funding for the final design phase during the National Assembly’s budget review. The city plans to proceed with the project according to the roadmap: design in 2026, groundbreaking in 2027, and completion in 2028.

Mayor Kim Dukyum stated, "The Ulsan Canoe Slalom Stadium will make a significant contribution to Olympic performance enhancement through the development of elite athletes, the hosting of international competitions, and the expansion of diverse sports experiences for citizens. We will focus all administrative resources to ensure the successful construction of the nation's first international-standard stadium."