Tuesday Talk - Gwangju Prepares for Universiade of "EPIC" Proportions

(ATR) Secretary General Kim Yoon-Suk tells Around the Rings that Gwanju 2015 is well on its way to delivering the "best ever" Universiade.

Read on for more from Kim and his South Korean sports city inside this Tuesday Talk.

Around the Rings: What role do you play in the Gwangju 2015 organizing committee?

Kim Yoon-Suk: As vice chairman and secretary general of 2015 Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee, I am in charge of overall matters including communicating and cooperating with the central and local governments; securing budgets; expanding facilities; operating games; volunteers; PR and marketing to ensure the successful host of the Universiade.

The GUOC was established as a special foundation for the Universiade. Currently, 200 staff are working at the Organizing Committee, and the OC will be expanded to have 400 staff by 2014, which is one year before the Universiade.

ATR: How are preparations coming for the Universiade?

KYS: We have been preparing for the Universiade in 3 phases.

Phase 1 (2010-2011) aimed to establish a base for the Universiade by making a master plan and action plan. During the first phase, we completed a masterplan and an action plan which serve as comprehensive designs for the Universiade. In addition, we created a slogan, emblem and mascot as a general framework to operate the Universiade. Phase II (2012-2013) aims to start construction after completing the groundwork for building competition venues and athletes’ village facilities. We completed the Venue Operation Plan at an early stage and began individual action manuals to carry out project plans by area. As a pre-event of the Universiade, Gwangju successfully hosted the 2012 World University Badminton Championships this year and we are fully confident to successfully host the upcoming Universiade. From 2013, we will make full-fledged international promotions including the joint project with the UN and right after Kazan Universiade, we will launch full-scale marketing to invite companies as sponsors. In Phase III (2014-2015), we will complete all the competition facilities and launch the operation system so that the staff involved in each sport event may work hand-in-hand. As volunteers play a core role in a successful Universiade, we have operated a Foreign Language School since 2010. Gwangju plans to expand it to have online and offline classes to systematically train 120,000 volunteers composed of college students throughout the nation as well as Gwangju citizens, and improve their quality and build practical capacity. ATR: How many venues are being built? Renovated?

KYS: We need a total of 73 venues for the Universiade. Only two venues (swimming and gymnastics) will be newly constructed, and the rest will be used after being remodeled.

We plan to realize an Eco Universiade by minimizing the new construction of the venues to enhance economic efficiency and protect the environment at the same time.

ATR: What feedback did you get from FISU during their October inspection visit?

KYS: Marc Vandenplas, the Summer Universiade director of the International University Sport Federation, has praised preparations as "very, very good" after leading an inspection visit in October. Seven FISU delegates visited Gwangju to inspect overall preparations, including the venues for new construction and renovation; human resource operation planning; and games operation planning.

Technical Committee Chair William John Warnock, who visited Gwangju in March, commented that sports facilities are excellent and located close to each other. He expressed his satisfaction that if the new venues are built as planned, the Universiade will surely be successful.

ATR: When will dates for Gwangju 2015 be set?

KYS: The Universiade is set for 12 days from Jul. 3 to 14 of 2015.

ATR: How hopeful are you that there will be a joint Korean team at the Games?

KYS: Considering the current situation of South and North Korea, I cannot answer yes or no for sure. But with all the circumstances going favorably, I am hopeful that we have a high possibility to form a joint Korean team.

Most of all, the UN plays a role as a mediator between S-N Korea, and since we signed a joint project with the UNOSDP in July 2012, Special Advisor on Sport for Development and Peace to the UN Secretary General Wilfried Lemke has been actively involved in coordination. In addition, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed his strong commitment to form a single S-N Korean team at the Gwangju Universiade in his speech made at an international conference.

Now that it will be the first case in the history of multisport events, we have a great expectation for the single S-N Korean team for the Universiade.

ATR: How is Gwangju doing on the sponsorship front? Who all is signed up so far, and how much more money do you have to raise?

KYS: We announced the sponsorship program for the Gwangju Universiade in November and began to recruit sponsor companies. We expect to sign a sponsorship agreement at the level of global premium partner in early 2013. (The sponsorships comprise four levels: global premium partner, official partner, official sponsor and official supplier.)

So far, we have focused on developing global issues such as EPIC as the Universiade vision and a single S-N Korean team to attract attention and interest from companies. We plan to attract over 20 companies by unfolding full-fledged activities by 2015.

ATR: What other events is Gwangju bidding for?

KYS: Gwangju is also bidding for the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships to enhance the brand value of Gwangju through sports and to be a "sport-loving city". At the same time, we plan to promote a culture that all the citizens enjoy sports in their daily lives to ultimately build a healthy city.

By utilizing the existing facilities used for the Universiade, we hope to host the 2019 Championships focusing on the reuse of sports resources and re-creation of added urban value.

The Championships will contribute to the development of world aquatics by fully utilizing the swimming facilities from the Universiade, experience and know-how obtained from the international event as well as 400,000 volunteers.

Gwangju submitted the bidding plan to the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism, conducted a feasibility study by a national research institute and finally got the final approval from the central government on Oct. 19, 2012. Gwangju sent the letter of intention to bid to FINA and in April 2013, it will submit the official application form for bidding and get inspections by May, waiting for the final decision in Barcelona, Spain on July 19, 2013.

ATR: What role do you play in the FINA bid?

KYS: I am also working as secretary general of the 2019 World Aquatics Championships bid in charge of overall matters for successful bidding on the forefront.

I think that three major factors for successful bidding are perfect preparation for bidding application form, IF inspection and the final presentation. Based on my previous experience of bidding for the Universiade, I will strengthen the relationships with international organizations and corporations with various strategies.

ATR: What can Gwangju offer FINA that the bids from China and Japan cannot?

KYS: Gwangju is a city that can create a legacy of development in world swimming and the value of peace. In addition, it is an ideal city to contribute to the balanced development of the swimming event among nations and expand the swimming infrastructure of Korea that has been left behind China and Japan.

Through the 2019 Championships, Gwangju will enhance the industrial value of swimming and produce a new star to follow the example of Park Tae-hwan. Moreover, Gwangju will have further exchanges between S-N Korea to form another united Korean team and create a touching moment of realizing the world peace.

Now that Gwangju has global companies such as Samsung Electronics and Kia Motors, we will be the best city to make global partnerships among the central government, global companies and the OC for successful financing and marketing of the Championships.

ATR: If Gwangju wins the FINA World Aquatics Championships for 2019, would the city reuse venues from the 2015 Universiade?

KYS: For the Universiade, Gwangju is newly constructing a swimming pool with 3,000 seats and a multi-purpose gymnasium available as a swimming pool. When we win the bidding for the 2019 Championships, we will reuse Universiade facilities including swimming pools.

Many cities randomly build new facilities for international sport events, causing environmental and economic damages. These facilities become useless after the event, and citizens have negative opinions on bidding for sport events. Gwangju already has all the necessary facilities and no need to construct new buildings. Therefore, we will maximize the utilization of the existing facilities to ensure economic efficiency.

ATR: Anything else I should be asking, or anything else you wanted to share?

KYS: The Gwangju Universiade centers on the concept of EPIC representing Eco, Peace, IT and Culture. We will realize the Ecoversiade by promoting environmental friendly construction.

To realize peace through sports, and as a legacy for world peace, we are trying to form a single Korean team for the first time in the history of multi-sporting events. As the leader in the IT industry, Gwangju will bring hi-tech integrated management to the game. Gwangju's rich cultural heritage and potential will bring an unprecedented level of cultural program in the Universiade. All these elements will create the best Universiade ever taken and present a touching drama of EPIC.

Interview conducted by Matthew Grayson.

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