"Ulsan Writes a Successful History of the Sports Festival" ... Ulsan City Holds Final Report Meeting for Preparation of National Sports Festival and Disabled Sports Competition

Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Torch Relay, Quarantine Measures, Traffic Issues Report and Press Conference

Jamsil Sports Complex, used as the main stadium for the 2019 National Sports Festival. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] How will this year’s National Sports Festival and the National Para Games be held? The final briefing on the preparation status for the Ulsan National Sports Festival was held on the 14th at Ulsan City Hall.

At 10 a.m. that day, Ulsan City held the final preparation status briefing for the 2022 National (Para) Sports Festival with about 30 officials attending, including representatives from the five districts/counties, the Office of Education, the Sports Council, the Para Sports Council, the Police Agency, and the Special Advisor on Culture and Sports Policy.

Following this, a press conference was held at the City Hall Press Center in the morning.

At the briefing, topics covered included ▲opening and closing ceremonies ▲lighting and relay of the torch ▲stadium renovations ▲safety and COVID-19 prevention measures ▲traffic, accommodation, and parking plans ▲and cultural event preparations.

For the opening and closing ceremonies, the National Sports Festival will be held under the main theme “Rise, Ulsan,” and the Para Games under “Ulsan, Invitation to the Garden.” The National Sports Festival opening ceremony will take place on October 7 at 6:30 p.m. (pre-ceremony events at 5 p.m.), and the closing ceremony on October 13 at 6 p.m. (pre-ceremony events at 5:30 p.m.) at the Ulsan Sports Complex.

The Para Games opening ceremony will be held on October 19 at 6 p.m. (pre-ceremony events at 5:30 p.m.) at the Ulsan Sports Complex, and the closing ceremony on October 24 at 4 p.m. (pre-ceremony events at 3:30 p.m.) at Dongcheon Gymnasium.

The torch relay will feature 627 runners. Ulsan City will start the special torch lighting in the districts/counties on September 30, and on October 3, the flame will be lit at Manisan in Ganghwado and at Ulsan Taehwagang National Garden, respectively.

On October 4, the flames will be combined in the City Hall yard, and the relay will continue through a total of 145 sections covering 224.1 km across districts/counties and Ulsan tourist sites until October 6.

Stadium renovations have also been completed. There are a total of 115 venues for the two major sports festivals, of which 44 required renovations; 43 have been completed, and the remaining one, Ulsan Sports Complex, is in the final stages.

Regarding safety and quarantine measures, after holding a safety measures progress briefing, a full inspection was conducted followed by a second joint inspection with private experts. Additionally, safety design will be applied within the Sports Complex to ensure spectator safety.

Joint cooperation agreements have also been signed with four public institutions in the safety sector.

For COVID-19 prevention, quarantine measures have been established for each venue, with 575 personnel in 115 mobile quarantine teams and 12 screening clinics to be operated during the event period.

As for traffic measures, the currently estimated cumulative number of vehicles is 770 buses, 800 rental cars, and 1,756 taxis. For the National Sports Festival participating provincial teams, support will be provided with 2 buses, 2 rental cars, and 5 taxis each.

For overseas Korean athlete teams, demand will be reflected considering the scale of participation. For the Para Games, each province will be supported with 2 buses, 2 rental cars, and 3 taxis.

Accommodation facilities currently secured number 709, with over 26,000 rooms. Participating teams from each province and overseas Korean athlete teams can reserve accommodations by province and country.

Cultural events will be held alongside the sports festivals, including the Ulsan Cultural Festival (October 7?13), the Korea Arts Festival (October 14?16), and the Ulsan Whale Festival (October), providing various attractions and entertainment beyond the sports competitions.

Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom said, “This year marks the 60th anniversary of Ulsan’s designation as an industrial district, and we aim to write a proud history with a successful sports festival. Athletes are preparing to achieve their goals, and visitors can look forward to an event that will lift spirits dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope everyone will do their best in the remaining time to ensure Ulsan’s new challenge can be realized through the festival preparations.”

The 103rd National Sports Festival will be held in Ulsan from October 7 to 13. About 30,000 athletes and officials will participate, competing in 49 events (46 official, 3 demonstration).

The 42nd National Para Games will take place from October 19 to 24, with about 9,000 athletes and officials competing in 31 events (29 official, 2 demonstration).

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