ATR First: Gwangju Ready to 'Dive Into Peace' in 2019

(ATR) The city of Gwangju, Korea, introduces itself to the aquatics community as the next host of the FINA World Championships.

With the slogan "Dive into Peace," the 18th FINA World Championships will be held July 12-28, 2019, immediately followed by the World Masters Championships July 29-Aug. 11.

Cho Young-Teck, Secretary-General and Vice President of the organizing committee, said the slogan reflects the history of Gwangju as a city of democracy, human rights and peace while incorporating the spirit of the Olympics Games.

He noted that Nobel Peace Prize winner Kim Dae-jung, a former president of South Korea, is from Gwangju.

"Through the championships we believe we can contribute to the peace of the Korean peninsula," Cho told Around the Rings.

The Mayor of Gwangju, Yoon Jang-hyeon will take part in the flag-handover ceremony at the closing ceremony of the 17th FINA World Championships in Budapest on Sunday. He has promised to try to persuade North Korea to take part in the Gwangju World Championships.

Besides its emphasis on peace, Gwangju also invites visitors to "Dive into Sports," "Dive into Culture," and "Dive into Taste."

The emblem symbolizes "Waves of Peace" and includes the image of a swimmer and Mt. Mudeungsan. The mascot is the otter, a species that has returned to the Yeongsangang River of Gwangju.

Gwangju is a city of 1.5 million people in the southwestern portion of the country and 30 percent of its sports-loving inhabitants are students.

Gwangju will build on its experience hosting FIFA World Cup matches in 2002 and the World University Games (Universiade) in 2015.

Cho said the volunteers from the Universiade will be a valuable asset.

However, he said that because that event was a festival for students who were mostly amateurs, "the preparations for the Universiade was rather simple. In the case of the World Championships, we know that we will need more technical and operational expertise as well as international media coordination. These Championships have a higher interest than the Universiade, especially from a media and spectator perspective. As we will be having the Masters Championships right after the FINA Championships, we are expecting that visitors and athletes will want to stay longer to experience the culture and visit our city. We need to prepare this championships in a more expert way, so in that sense I think it’s more challenging."

Gwangju sent 70 observers to Budapest to learn not only about the operating logistics of the championships, but also how to create a festival mood.

Cho said he was impressed by the commitment of the Hungarian government in fully supporting the championships. In Gwangju, he said, the city government leads the preparation with the support of the Korean government.

The total budget is $149.6 million, with estimated expenses of $91.8 million for operating costs, $51.6 million for facilities and $7.2 million for reserves.

Gwangju is already exchanging information with PyeongChang, the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, in areas such as IT.

Cho said observers plan to attend the Olympic Opening Ceremony and he hopes to organize a bus trip for media to come to Gwangju and observe preparations. The distance is about 300 km.

The main venue for the FINA World Championships is the Nambu University Aquatics Center, which currently has about 3,500 seats and will expand to 11,000 with temporary seats.

Temporary facilities for water polo and artistic (formerly synchronized) swimming, will be installed at Gwangju Yeomju Stadium and Jinwol International Tennis Court.

Cho said the organizers have two options for the high diving venue: a spot with picturesque backgrounds in the City Hall Culture Square of Gwangju, or move to Yeosu, a nearby city with an archipelago.

"We are going to finalize the venue for high diving after the discussion with FINA," he said, "but we are thinking to make a better choice."

Open water also needs to be finalized at either Jangseongho Lake near Gwangju or the sea near Yeosu.

"I think this championship will be very good momentum for people of Gwangju and the people of Korea to promote swimming throughout their daily lives," said Cho. "We have an Asian Culture Center in our town, so I hope the participants of the 2019 Championships will have a chance to experience the Asian culture and appreciate it.

"We also have very high-tech industries such as Samsung and Kia Motors, so the city is promoting futuristic industries at the same time. I hope that many people around the world will have a chance to visit and see how the culture and history and industries are being developed in harmony."

Written by Karen Rosenin Budapest, Hungary.

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