A dirty battle for money in the Universiade
SONG JI-HOONThe author is a sports news reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo.
The Universiade is a comprehensive sports event participated in by college students from all over the world. It is organized by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The first event was held in 1923 in Paris, and this year marks the centennial.
Korea has hosted three Universiades. A winter event was held in Muju and Jeonju, North Jeolla in 1997, and in 2003 and 2015, summer events were held in Daegu and Gwangju, South Jeolla, respectively. Local governments that cannot afford to host major international sporting events such as the Olympics or Asian Games find Universiades very attractive. Exchanges with 15,000 participants, including athletes, officials and media from 150 countries around the world, are a great opportunity to promote the region to the international community. Also, it is a chance to upgrade local sports infrastructure to the international level by utilizing hundreds of millions of dollars in government subsidies. Daegu and Gwangju used Universiade-related facilities to host the World Athletics Championships in 2011 and the World Swimming Championship in 2019.
In 2027, four cities and provinces in the Chungcheong region (Daejeon, Sejong, South and North Chungcheong Provinces) will host Korea’s fourth Universiade.
However, the preparation process for this event is exceptionally challenging. The forming of the organizing committee was not smooth. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) and local governments in the Chungcheong region are at odds over how to use the secretary general position. Regarding the secretary general appointed by local governments, the KSOC claims that the appointment without prior consultation was invalid. The local governments argue that the appointment process was not flawed. As they cannot reach an agreement, the organizing committee to be in charge of actual prep work hasn’t been launched yet. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism got involved to mediate, but is in an awkward position.
The secretary general will be in charge of the finances of the event. The confrontation is interpreted as a contest to take the lead in the preparation process of the event. Both sides argue that it was an inevitable choice for successful hosting, but neither shows any consideration or interest in athletes, fans, the actual customers or consumers.
The Office for Government Policy Coordination under the prime minister stepped forward for a smooth resolution of the friction. But the controversy ultimately should be addressed by involved parties — the KSOC and the local governments in the Chungcheong region. It is uncomfortable to see the festival of the youth is off to a bumpy start because of the controversial appointment led by old people.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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