Busan to Bid for Hosting the World Disabled Sports Games... Busan City Launches Campaign to Host the 10th Edition in 2023

After MOU Signing at Busan City Hall on the 3rd, Full-Scale Preparations Underway, Inviting 4,500 Participants from 150 Countries

A Global Platform for Cooperation and Communication on Disability, Expected to Boost Tourism Industry in Global Disabi

Busan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Busan City has launched full-scale activities to attract the World Disabled Persons’ Games.

Busan City (Mayor Park Hyung-jun) announced on the 2nd that it will sign a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Attracting the 10th World Disabled Persons’ Games to Busan” at 11 a.m. on the 3rd in the 26th-floor conference room of City Hall.

The MOU signing will be attended by Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan; Hwang Kwang-sik, Representative of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) Korea; Kim Rak-hwan, Executive Representative of the Korea Federation of Organizations of the Disabled; Cho Chang-yong, Co-Representative of the Korea Federation of Organizations of the Disabled and President of the Busan Federation of Organizations of the Disabled; Lim Yoon-tae, President of the International Disabled eSports Federation; Ahn Jung-won, Chairman of the Korea Disabled Culture and Arts Center; Kim Nam-hee, President of the Busan Disabled Leisure Activity Support Association; and Kim Chi-yong, Chairperson of the World Disabled Persons’ Busan Games Promotion Committee (Dean of the ICT College at Dong-Eui University), among others.

Starting with this agreement, Busan City will join forces with the Korea Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI KOREA), an international disability organization, to compete to host the “10th World Disabled Persons’ Games.”

The event is scheduled to be held in April 2023, with approximately 4,500 participants from 150 countries expected to attend.

Busan City and related organizations plan to cooperate closely to ensure the successful hosting of the event, creating a platform for communication and international cooperation for disabled persons worldwide, whose activities have been constrained by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI) is an international organization established in 1981 during the “International Year of Disabled Persons” and holds the World Disabled Persons’ Games every four years.

Currently, 152 countries worldwide are members, and through global self-reliance development programs and projects, DPI works to promote the human rights and interests of all types of disabled persons, aiming for their social and economic development and participation.

Despite the COVID-19 situation, Busan City has been making efforts to lead domestic and international cooperation non-face-to-face to attract the World Disabled Persons’ Games.

Through hosting this international event, Busan plans to build its image as a global disability-friendly city and actively utilize its strengths as an international tourism city to attract domestic and foreign tourists and revitalize related industries.

In the With-Corona era, Busan aims to promote “K-quarantine, culture, and welfare,” showcase the 4th Industrial Revolution and a new welfare paradigm, and accelerate the development of Busan as a green smart city.

Following the 7th World Disabled Persons’ Games held in Seoul in 2007, Busan will be the second city in Korea to host an international disability event, expanding the stage for disability-related international events that have been mainly promoted in the metropolitan area.

Hwang Kwang-sik, President of the Korea Disabled Peoples’ International, said, “It is very meaningful to have international exchange and communication for disabled persons worldwide at this turning point as Busan develops into a mega city,” adding, “It will be a practical Busan Games where disabled and non-disabled people come together.”

Professor Kim Chi-yong, Chairperson of the Games Promotion Committee, said, “Attracting the Games to Busan is a valuable opportunity to promote Busan as a disability-friendly city to the world,” and “We will devote all our efforts to a successful bid.”

Mayor Park Hyung-jun of Busan said, “By combining cutting-edge 4th Industrial Revolution technologies with welfare, this will not be a one-time event but a sustainable project that embraces disabled persons and brings about significant changes throughout society.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.