100 Days to Go
On March 25, Gwangju began its 100-day countdown to the 28th Summer Universiade 2015. The Gwangju 2015 Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC) started a series of promotional events to raise awareness for the upcoming games.
A nationwide promotional tour launched at Gwangju City Hall is planning to tour major cities around the country, which includes Seoul, Busan, and Daegu in the run-up to the games.
In front of Seoul City Hall, the GUOC unveiled a 10-meter-high tower yesterday to advertise the Gwangju Universiade. The tower will stand at Seoul Plaza until the end of the games. At Shilla Hotel in Seoul, the GUOC organized a fashion show to introduce uniforms for the volunteers, officials, and torch bearers. Eighty-four items of sportswear and formal attire were showcased.
Gwangju describes the upcoming event as “Ecoversiade,” an environmentally-friendly event in terms of its effort to minimize the carbon footprint of the constructions. Only three out of 70 facilities built for the game are newly constructed, while the other 67 use existing venues with renovations and remodeling, which will also minimize the cost.
Gwangju is the third city in South Korea to host Universiade games, after Muju in 1997 and Daegu in 2003. North Korea will also take part in the Gwangju Universiade with 75 athletes and 33 officials to compete in 8 sports. Gwangju is expecting the largest number of participants this year, up to 20,000 people from 170 countries. Thanks to a partnership agreement with the city’s Metropolitan Transit Corporation and the Bus Union, all Universiade participants will be able to travel around the city during the game.