South Korea - As tiger state from national economy to industrial power - Candidate WSG 2025
South Korea is embedded in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan in the southern part of the Korean peninsula, with only one national border with the neighbouring state of North Korea. For Europeans, the country with the "powerful energy of a tiger" is an exotic destination. For the CSIT, perhaps the venue of the CSIT World Sports Games 2025. The member association KOWSC has applied with the cities of Daegu and the region of Gyeongsangbuk-do to host the CSIT WSG and will be evaluated with the second applicant Greece in spring. The Games will be awarded by the Executive Committee still 2022.
Outside Europe for the first time
Should South Korea win the bid for the WSG 2025, the CSIT Games would leave the European continent for the first time and take place in the Asian region. The candidate cities are located southeast of the capital Seoul and can be reached directly by plane or train. Daegu and the self-governing province of Gyeongsangbuk-do are among the most beautiful tourist attractions in Asia. With its warm and mild weather, Daegu is one of the most popular cities for sports training camps in winter. As the centre of Korea's sports tourism industry, Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do have hosted numerous national and international sports events.
Sports proven
South Korea is generally experienced in hosting major sporting events and, along with Japan and China, is one of three countries in Asia to have hosted Olympic and Paralympic Games. Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Paralympics, the last during the Cold War. Pyeongchang hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics and the subsequent 2018 Winter-Paralympics and co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Japan.
World Heritage Site
Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do have recognised the value of the CSIT World Sports Games and are keen to co-host the 2025 edition with the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Tourism Cooperation and the Korea Tourism Association. Gyeongsangbuk-do has long been the religious home of Korea and a cultural centre. The city of Gyoengju, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom, is best known for its Buddhist heritage sites as well as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. National and provincial parks as well as hiking trails along the coast offer picturesque views of nature. Korea's Tourism Association and Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do Cooperation, as partners of the official WSG 2025 Tour Programme, will offer a wide and professional tour programme for all 2025 WSG participants.
Same goals as CSIT
The Korea Workers Sports Committee (KOWSC) was established in 2007 and is the nationwide sports organisation for promoting sports at all work and office levels. Currently, 28 sports associations with nearly 450,000 members actively promote sports activities. KOWSC maintains good relations with the Ministry of Sport, Culture and Tourism and many local governments by conducting various sporting events and activities.
Sport for All
With the support of the National Assembly, the Committee is trying to enact new sports laws and regulations in South Korea to promote sports participation for all workers, reduce social costs and make life happier. WSG 2025 is an excellent opportunity to unite the Korean people's passion and love for sports for a better community and to extend sports enthusiasm to neighbouring Asian countries.
Huge potential
In the upcoming CSIT WSG 2025, KOWSC will be able to have more than 10 Asian countries participate. Moreover, it will definitely be an opportunity to expand the reach of CSIT in the Asian continent. According to the 2018 Sports White Paper, there are 115,303 sports clubs in South Korea, with 5,579,640 members, representing 10.8% of the total population. Which means incredible potential. With a population of around 51.7 million, South Korea is one of the 30 most populous countries in the world and one of the most densely populated, with over 500 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Sports enthusiastic population
Currently, more than 450,000 members are actively involved in sporting activities under the KOWSC name. With the support of central and local governments and the 17 regional KOWSC branches, sporting events can be organised with up to 100,000 participants, using proven Games management protocols and experience. All sports venues for the CSIT World Games, as well as the WSG Centre, can be reached within just 30 minutes by shuttle bus. A free shuttle bus will be available for all participants for the entire duration of their stay.
Highest technical standard
State television KTV and the Korea Sports Media Association are the main media partners of WSG 2025, covering the whole of Korea, including foreign TV stations. Korea will also provide it with YouTube similar platforms for broadcasting through existing YouTube sports channels. 5G internet and WIFI coverage is already being used across the country. The WSG 2025 homepage will be available in English, French and Spanish by 2024.