The committee behind the Chungcheong Megacity bid for the 2027 World University Games has pledged to exert its utmost efforts to host the event.

“Chungcheong will present the best World University Games of all time,” said Kim Yoon-suk, secretary-general of Chungcheong Megacity’s bid committee, told The Korea Herald.

Kim was also secretary-general of the committee behind Gwangju’s successful bid for the 28th World University Games in 2015. And now he thinks Chungcheong Megacity has a very good chance of winning hosting rights for the upcoming event.

Chungcheong is up against North Carolina in the US, according to the International Sports University Federation.

Kim said the competition with North Carolina, which he praised as “a sacred place” of university sports, will be a tough one.

However, Kim also listed a series of advantages that Chungcheong Megacity has for hosting the upcoming international multisport event.

According to Kim, Chungcheong Megacity has the upper hand in terms of securing financial support.

“Chungcheong’s bid committee has a big advantage as it is officially funded by both the central and local governments, while North Carolina has to rely on private funds and sponsorships,” Kim said.

Kim noted that a stable financial aid from the government will help the region successfully host the mega sporting event, which requires a significant budget.

Kim also noted the country has more experience than the US in hosting WUG events.

To date, South Korea has hosted a total of three editions of WUG, including the 1997 Winter WUG in Muju and Jeonju, the 2003 Summer WUG in Daegu and the 2015 Summer WUG in Gwangju.

“It is true that the US has well-developed sports infrastructure and facilities for university sports. But, South Korea’s contribution to the International University Sports Federation is bigger than that of the US,” Kim said.

The last WUG edition that the US held was the Buffalo 1993 World University Games.

Korean University Sports Board President Chang Ho-sung also said South Korea had proven its capability to hold the mega sport event by holding several editions of WUG.

During a separate interview held with The Korea Herald, Chang said the Chungcheong region currently had both enough sports facilities and well-trained manpower required to successfully hold the WUG. 

Ahead of the final vote of the host city for the 2027 WUG in October, the Chungcheong region is currently preparing for the next steps, Kim said.

Between February and August, the bid committee of Chungcheong and the FISU will hold meetings to check technical matters. The bid committee will also hand in application documents to host the 2027 WUG between August and September. In September, FISU will also conduct on-site evaluations.

Kim said, the bid committee will propose that the Chungcheong region is capable of holding the event in line with sport’s growing sustainability movement.

With a heightened focus on sustainability factors, the committee plans to reduce waste as much as possible by minimizing the construction of new sports facilities, while ramping up efforts to renovate existing facilities.

The bid committee will also cooperate with 66 universities in Chungcheong and have them certified under FISU Healthy Campus initiative.

First launched in 2020, the FISU initiative encourages sustainability in accordance with the United Nations‘ sustainable development goals. In South Korea, Myongji University is the only college that has been certified under the program.

Chang also said related organizations will introduce measures to utilize sports facilities and their surroundings even after the event is over. The Chungcheong region, for instance, can start a legacy program that will promote the WUG.

The bid committee of Chungcheong also looks forward to the social and financial benefits that the 2027 WUG will bring to the region.

If the Chungcheong Megacity hosts the event, it will become a “turning point” for the region, Kim said.

According to Kim, the 2027 WUG will become a catalyst that will accelerate corporations among the government bodies of Daejeon, Sejong and the North and South Chungcheong provinces.

Hosting the 2027 WUG will help enhance the status of the Chungcheong region and help the country’s balanced regional development scheme to take one step further.

“The Chungcheong Megacity is a symbolic region that represents the country’s efforts in balanced regional growth,” Kim said.

Chungcheong Megacity, which is geographically situated in the center of the country, is currently home to 5.6 million people. The Chungcheong region also has Sejong, the special self-governing city that serves as a second administrative capital for South Korea, as well as Daejeon, the research and development capital of the country.

Chang express hopes that hosting the WUG will bring betterment to the country’s sport scene. “The WUG has been the venue to a successful career for many athletes,” Chang said.

Hosting the WUG in the Chungcheong region will help the country to nurture the next generation of athletes who will eventually represent the country at the Olympic games and contribute to the country’s sport scene as coaches and educators, Chang said.

Chang quoted that FISU’s previous data, which said 48 percent of those who won medals at the 2012 London Olympics had been medalists at the WUG or the World University Championships.

Academic events that come along with the WUG can also benefit the country’s academic circles, Chang added.