Changwon City, "Yeongmi~ Yeongmi~" Establishes the First Wheelchair Curling Team Among Basic Local Governments

Preparation for Selection of National Team for 2022 Beijing Paralympics

Founding members of Changwon City Disabled Wheelchair Curling Team. (Photo by Changwon City)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Changwon City in Gyeongnam announced on the 25th that it will establish the first wheelchair curling professional team among basic local governments.

The establishment of the curling team has been promoted after being selected for this year's Korea Paralympic Committee's Disabled Professional Team Development Project. The city has been supporting the wheelchair curling team as part of the disabled athlete development project under the municipal Gomduri National Sports Center.

The wheelchair curling team has won awards nine times in the past three years, including 2nd place at last year's Seoul Mayor's Cup International Invitational Wheelchair Curling Tournament.

The city has been pushing to establish a professional team to prevent excellent athletes from quitting their sports careers due to financial difficulties, as there was no disabled professional team. To boost the pride of the 50,000 disabled residents in the area, the city has been preparing to establish the wheelchair curling team in cooperation with the Changwon Disabled Sports Association since last year.

Since June, the city has publicly recruited a coach, manager, and seven players to form the team. Administrative and financial support procedures for stable team operation are also being prepared.

Hwang Gyu-jong, Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said, “We will do our best to nurture athletes so that they can prepare for the selection of the national team for the 2022 Beijing Paralympics and aim to win medals through professional training in a stable environment.”

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