Seoul: North Jeolla Province, the South Korean candidate for the 2036 Summer Olympics, announced that eight sports will be held in Seoul if it secures the bid for the prestigious event.
According to Yonhap News Agency, officials from the province, located in the southwestern part of South Korea, have confirmed that Seoul has committed to hosting athletics, handball, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball, and track cycling races, along with some preliminary basketball and football games.
North Jeolla emerged as South Korea's candidate for the 2036 Olympics after defeating Seoul in February. Other contenders for hosting the Olympics include India, Qatar, Turkey, and Chile. The provincial capital, Jeonju, located approximately 200 kilometers south of Seoul, is spearheading the initiative, with plans to distribute events among neighboring regions.
Should South Korea win the bid, Daegu is set to host shooting events, while Gwangju will accommodate some football preliminary matches and the baseball gold medal game. Jeonju is slated for archery finals, skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball, and BMX events. Additional cities and counties within North Jeolla, such as Muju and Gochang, are also expected to host various events, as stated by provincial officials.
According to North Jeolla, a total of 51 venues will be utilized for the Olympics, with 32 located within the province and 19 in other regions. Yoo Hee-sook, the head of the province's Olympic bidding committee, noted that the venue plans incorporate feedback from the International Olympic Committee and other stakeholders. Yoo emphasized that the plans optimize existing infrastructure while aligning with international standards, asserting that hosting the Summer Olympics would bolster South Korea's national brand.
Yoo also mentioned that the possibility of Seoul serving as a formal co-host has not been fully explored. "As a successful host of the 1988 Olympics, Seoul has many different types of infrastructure," Yoo remarked. "We expect Seoul to be a great cooperative partner."
South Korea is aiming to become the eighth nation, joining the ranks of the United States, Australia, Britain, France, Japan, Germany, and Greece, to host multiple Summer Olympics.