Jeonbuk Selected as Domestic Candidate for Hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics, Surpassing Seoul (Comprehensive)

Jeollabuk-do has been selected as the domestic candidate to challenge Seoul for hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics.

On the 28th, at the 2025 regular general assembly of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee held at Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Jeollabuk-do won 49 out of 61 valid votes in the domestic candidate selection vote for the 2036 Olympic bid, decisively defeating Seoul, which received 11 votes. There was 1 invalid vote.

Jeonbuk Province Governor Kim Kwan-young (center, white clothes) and other officials from Jeonbuk Province raise their arms in joy after being selected as the domestic candidate site for the 2036 Summer Olympics at the 2025 Korea Sports Council Regular General Assembly held on the 28th at Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Jeollabuk-do's emphasis on national balanced development through decentralized hosting resonated well with the electorate, allowing Jeollabuk-do to surpass Seoul by an unexpectedly large margin.

Jeollabuk-do announced that if it hosts the Olympics, athletics events will be held at Daegu Stadium, and Olympic events will be decentralized across Gwangju (International Archery Field, Nambu University Municipal International Swimming Pool), Chungnam Hongseong (Chungnam International Tennis Court), Chungbuk Cheongju (Cheongju Multipurpose Indoor Gymnasium), and Jeonnam Goheung (Namyeol Sunrise Beach). This aligns with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) demand for cost reduction through cooperation among neighboring cities and emphasizes the benefits of dispersing infrastructure and economic power concentrated in the metropolitan area, contributing to national balanced development.

Seoul highlighted its strengths, including the successful hosting experience of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, well-established sports facilities, and comprehensive infrastructure such as transportation and accommodation, but was overshadowed by Jeollabuk-do's balanced development argument.

Jeollabuk-do is expected to compete with countries that have expressed intentions to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, including Indonesia (Nusantara), T?rkiye (Istanbul), India (city undecided), and Chile (Santiago).

In the past, the IOC decided the Olympic host city at the general assembly held seven years before the event, but recently, it has moved away from this method and effectively adopted a continuous negotiation system. The IOC is preparing for the next presidential election next month, with the new president expected to take office in June. The IOC has only indicated that the selection of the 2036 Summer Olympics host city is expected to take place sometime after this year.

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