Seoul City Hosts 'Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly' with 1,300 Participants from 206 Countries

Jointly Hosted by Korea Sports Council from 18 to 21
Introduction of Seoul Combining Sports, Culture, and Arts at Dinner Hosted by Seoul Mayor on the 20th

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will jointly host the "26th Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly" with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at the COEX Convention Center from the 18th to the 21st, with over 1,300 participants from 206 countries worldwide.

The ANOC General Assembly is an event often referred to as the United Nations General Assembly of the international sports community. This is the third time it has been held in Seoul, following the 5th assembly in 1986 and the 15th in 2006. This year’s assembly will welcome about 100 International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials including Chairman Thomas Bach and Ethics Committee Chairman Ban Ki-moon, approximately 250 ANOC executive and committee members, around 600 delegations from National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of 206 countries, about 50 presidents of International Federations (IFs) for various sports, as well as 300 representatives from international sports organizations, guests, and media personnel visiting Korea.

Seoul plans to use this assembly, which discusses the future of global sports in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, as the first step toward becoming an "international sports city." The city aims to leverage this event as a channel for sports diplomacy and to lay the groundwork for hosting large-scale international sports events.

The event will begin on the 18th with the ANOC Executive Board meeting, followed by the 1st and 2nd plenary sessions on the 19th and 20th. The plenary sessions will include reports on ANOC’s key activities, updates from organizing committees of upcoming Olympic Games, and presentations on trends in the international sports community. On the 21st, an ANOC workshop will be held to discuss various current issues in international sports.

On the second day, the 20th, a dinner hosted by the Mayor of Seoul will take place at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Seoul will introduce the newly developed "Jamsil Sports and MICE Complex" under the themes of "Wonderful Together, Seoul," "Powerful Sports, Seoul," and "Beautiful Charming Sports, Seoul." At this event, the city plans to showcase to the world its image as a prepared international sports city where sports, culture, and arts converge.

Prior to the ANOC General Assembly, Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the "Seoul Olympic Legacy Forum" held at the Seoul Olympic Parktel on the same day and signed a business agreement to preserve and develop the legacy of large-scale international sports events. This agreement was established following a cooperation meeting among domestic sports event legacy management entities organized by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation in March, aiming to promote legacy development and collaboration.

The agreement includes Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Gangwon Province, which have hosted large-scale international sports events, along with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, related sports organizations such as the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the 2018 PyeongChang Foundation, the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games Organizing Committee, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and the Korean Paralympic Committee. These management entities pledged to preserve and develop the legacies of large-scale international sports events and cooperate for sustainable development.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of the Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, "Through this ANOC General Assembly and the Seoul Olympic Legacy Forum, Seoul has taken the first step toward becoming a global sports city and has created an opportunity to promote Seoul’s Olympic legacy vision." He added, "Going forward, Seoul will break down the barriers between community sports and professional sports to develop into a city where all citizens can fully enjoy sports."

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