Gwangju welcomes swimming federations from all over the world
Gwangju (KOR), January 18th, 2019 – In the lead up to the 18th FINA World Championships taking place in Gwangju next July, a great number of National Swimming Federations (NFs) have recently made their way to Gwangju in order to visit and meet with the Gwangju 2019 Local Organising Committee. Among them were representatives from the Swimming Federations of Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, Australia, Denmark, England, Netherlands, Spain and the United states.
For Gwangju 2019, the year kicked off with visits on 14th-15th of January by senior representatives from USA Swimming, this included Jeri Mashburn and Betty Hazle. The main purpose of these meetings was to check on the facilities and venues made available to the athletes and their entourage as well as ensure that quality standards are met to deliver an excellent event.
During the visit, the officials were welcomed by the Gwangju 2019 staff and had the opportunity to interact with the LOC team as well as assess all the competition venues, the athlete’s village and the transportation plan.
Jeri Mashburn, Chef de Mission, said: “Our visit on-site in Gwangju was very positive. All the projects for the Championships seem to be on track and I am happy to see that our athletes will be competing in great conditions. The competition venues and the athlete’s village are top quality. This will, for sure, be an extraordinary event.”
Dr. Cho Young-Teck, Secretary General of the Organising Committee, added: “It is a great honour to welcome representatives of the swimming world to Gwangju. The involvement of the aquatics family in the process and their feedback is very important for us. To all the FINA Family, know that our doors are always open, and you are welcome to visit us anytime. We look forward to welcoming you all.”
More National Federations are expected to visit Gwangju in the upcoming months.
With less than 200 days to go until the Championships, everything is on time and on budget. All updates about Gwangju 2019 activities are posted on the LOC’s website.
Contact:
Youngsuk CHOI,
Media Support team,
Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019
Email: press@fina-gwangju2019.com
About FINA World Championships
The 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju will be the 18th in the history of the event. Gwangju will be the third Asian host in history, following Fukuoka, Japan, in 2001 and Shanghai, China, in 2011.
Belgrade, the Serbian capital, held the first competition in 1973 in the-then Yugoslavia, and the Championships have been conducted in the odd years since the 9th Championships in Fukuoka in 2001.
Since the 2015 Kazan World Championships, competitions for active professional swimmers have been held along with the Masters Championships.
The FINA World Championships have established themselves as the most prestigious events supported by FINA, with world-class cities competitively bidding for the rights to host.
Such prestige is demonstrated by the outstanding cities that have held FINA World Championships in the past 10 years. For example, Melbourne, Australia (2007), Rome, Italy (2009), Shanghai, China 2011) and Barcelona, Spain (2003 and 2013) have all recently organised FINA World Championships.
Gwangju, Korea, has been named as the next host of the FINA World Championships in 2019. The moto of the 18th edition ‘Dive into Peace’, shows Gwangju’s engagement in creating a unifying Championships that promotes positive values across the world.
About Gwangju
Located in the South West of Korea, and easily-accessible from the capital city of Seoul, Gwangju has a population of approximately 1.5 million people.
Built upon a 1,000 year history and tradition, Gwangju is known for as a hub for Asian culture. It combines peaceful, natural beauty with the energy and buzz of the city centre, aiming to cater for all types of visitors.
Gwangju is the city of democracy, human rights and peace. The city has long acted like a beacon of light consolidating peace and democracy in Korea.
Having SAMSUNG, KIA Motors and Korea Electric Power Corporation, Gwangju is also a leading city in the 4th industrial revolution focusing its strength on smart city solutions and electric vehicles.