The Sport City of Gwangju, Korea, host of the 2019 FINA World Championships, opens its doors to the international media

Press Release

Gwangju, Korea, February 8th 2018 – Today, the honourable Mayor of Gwangju, YOON Jang-hyun, together with the Vice-President and Secretary General of the Organising Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships, Dr. Cho Young-Teck, welcomed the international media to Gwangju, Korea. A private meet and greet with the Mayor and the Secretary General allowed world-renown journalists to get acquainted with the next host city of FINA’s flagship event. The reception at Gwangju City Hall was followed by a tour of the FINA World Championships venues.

The FINA World Championships is considered as one of the biggest events among Summer Olympic sports. The 18th edition will be delivered by the South Korean city next year, from July 12th to August 11th 2019 featuring both the FINA World Championships and the World Masters Championships. Approximately 15,000 participants are expected to attend this major event, with more than 200 countries broadcasting the Championships on television.

With just under one and half years to go until the Championships, the Gwangju 2019 Organising Committee has opened their doors to welcome both international and local media partners in order to build stronger relationships. Top sport media including Around the Rings, Francsjeux, Insidethegames.biz and Sportcal had the exclusive opportunity to meet the honourable Yoon Jang-hyun, Mayor of Gwangju and Dr. Cho Young-Teck, the Secretary-General and Vice-President of the Organising Committee. The group was received at Gwangju City Hall, where the media were given an overview and progress update by the host city towards the preparation of the Championships.

The honourable Mayor of Gwangju, said: "We are very happy to welcome the world to Gwangju. To host this fantastic event goes beyond sports, our city and our country believe in the impact of sport and the positive power it has throughout the world. As an experienced global host of major events, I am proud to say that our city and our citizens are looking forward to welcoming the FINA World Championships in 2019 and we are devoted to making them a great success."

He continued to say: "In addition, as Gwangju hosts the FINA Championships in 2019, this enables Korea to be the fourth country to have hosted five international mega-sports events. Including the Summer & Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, the IAAF World Championships and now the FINA World Championships. To further promote peace and mutual understanding, we have launched the slogan "Dive into Peace" for the Championships. In this regards, the 2019 FINA World Championships will reflect a bigger ambition and ultimately be more special and meaningful."

Dr. Cho Young-Teck, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Organising Committee for Gwangju 2019, added: "On behalf of the Organising Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships, we are very much looking forward to welcoming the athletes, officials, fans and especially our friends in the media to Gwangju next year. Our team is working hard to ensure a fantastic event and make it an unforgettable experience for all."

You can follow #Gwangju2019 journey on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, please visit the following website: http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=27499408&msgid=614160&act=5NE0&c=690726&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fina-gwangju2019.com%2F

MJ Kang (Press Contact)

Tel. +82 62 616 4241 / Mobile. +82 10 4599 1182

Email. mj1182@fina-gwangju2019.com

About FINA World Championships

The 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju will be the 18th in the history of the event. Gwangju will be the third Asian host in history, following Fukuoka, Japan, in 2001 and Shanghai, China, in 2011.

Belgrade, the Serbian capital, held the first competition in 1973 in the-then Yugoslavia, and the Championships have been conducted in the odd years since the 9th Championships in Fukuoka in 2001.

Since the 2015 Kazan World Championships, competitions for active professional swimmers have been held along with the Masters Championships.

The FINA World Championships have established themselves as the most prestigious events supported by FINA, with world-class cities competitively bidding for the rights to host.

Such prestige is demonstrated by the outstanding cities that have held FINA World Championships in the past 10 years. For example, Melbourne, Australia (2007), Rome, Italy (2009), Shanghai, China 2011) and Barcelona, Spain (2003 and 2013) have all recently organised FINA World Championships.

Gwangju, Korea, has been named as the next host of the FINA World Championships in 2019. The moto of the 18th edition ‘Dive into Peace’, shows Gwangju’s engagement in creating a unifying Championships that promotes positive values across the world.

About Gwangju

Located in the South West of Korea, and easily-accessible from the capital city of Seoul, Gwangju has a population of approximately 1.5 million people.

Built upon a 1,000 year history and tradition, Gwangju is known for as a hub for Asian culture. It combines peaceful, natural beauty with the energy and buzz of the city centre, aiming to cater for all types of visitors.

Gwangju is the city of democracy, human rights and peace. The city has long acted like a beacon of light consolidating peace and democracy in Korea.

Having SAMSUNG, KIA Motors and Korea Electric Power Corporation, Gwangju is also a leading city in the 4th industrial revolution focusing its strength on smart city soutions and electric vehicles.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only