Mayor Oh Se-hoon holds dinner with IOC President Bach and others... Unveils Seoul vision at ANOC General Assembly

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] On the second day of the '2022 26th Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly' on the 20th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon hosted a dinner inviting over 800 guests, including Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The dinner held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, was attended by IOC President Bach, Ban Ki-moon, Chair of the IOC Ethics Commission, Robin Mitchell, Acting President of ANOC, Lee Ki-heung, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and Cho Hyun-jae, Chairman of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, among others.

Mayor Oh said, "Because of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Seoul became a world-class city and South Korea was able to develop," adding, "All Korean citizens feel infinite gratitude towards the Olympics."

He continued, "It is regrettable to only hold meetings when you are in a place with so many sights and attractions," and added, "Please enjoy various parts of Seoul such as Banpo Hangang Park and Insadong."

At this event, the Seoul city government introduced the vision of Seoul as an international sports city combining sports, culture, and arts.

They also explained the 'Jamsil Sports and MICE Complex' project, which is planned to begin construction by the end of 2024. This project involves developing approximately 350,000㎡ around the Jamsil Sports Complex in Songpa-gu, including exhibition and convention facilities (120,000㎡), a baseball stadium, office, accommodation, and commercial facilities.

The ANOC General Assembly is the largest meeting in the international sports community. Following the Executive Board meeting on the 18th, the main assembly was held from the 19th to the 21st around COEX in Seoul.

Seoul City, together with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, hosted this assembly and has begun preliminary work to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics. The goal of Seoul City is to establish a foundation for Olympic hosting through the ANOC General Assembly.

Since the bid for the '2032 Seoul-Pyongyang Olympics,' which was promoted during former Mayor Park Won-soon's administration, was canceled, Seoul has shifted its focus to a solo bid for the 2036 Olympics and is actively pursuing hosting.

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