As an eco-friendly region

As an eco-friendly and health-oriented region, the Yangpyeong County will host the 64th Gyeonggi-do Sports Festival for three days, April 26~28, 2018, at the Yangpyeong Sports Complex and other sports facilities. It is participated in a total of over 12,000 athletes, directors and coaches from 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi-do Province.

The County government had tried to host the Gyeonggi-do Sports Festival since 2011, but it failed due to lack of sufficient sports facilities. Now construction of the new Yangpyeong Sports Complex is about to be completed.

Mayor Kim Sun-kyo of Yangpyeong County.

In the sports festival, athletes from different cities and counties in the province will compete each other in 24 sporting events, and 22 events of them, excluding swimming and shooting, will be held in Yangpyeong County. These two events will take place at pertinent facilities located in nearby cities. In addition to constructing the Yangpyeong Sports Complex as the main stadium, the municipal government repaired and improved existing sports facilities in preparation for the provincial sports festival. For convenient and pleasant stay of visiting athletes, it also replenished public facilities and environments around sports facilities, while advising lodging facilities and restaurants to provide warm hospitality and full convenience to visiting athletes.

Primarily, the Gyeonggi-do Sports Festival has been held annually to promote sports and nurture elite athletes of the province, and it has also developed into a cultural event that enhances harmony among citizens of different cities and counties in the province over years by holding colorful opening and closing ceremonies, and differentiated festivals. The sports events in this year are expected to provide the County with a chance of publicizing its unique regional culture and attracting more tourists. Other cities and counties that previously hosted the provincial sports games used them as chances of strengthening brand image of their respective regions and enhancing sense of solidarity among their citizens.

Before the signing of contract, officials are meeting to exchange farewell greetings.

Direct consumption by athletes and visitors for lodging, foods, shopping and transportation during the period of the provincial sports games is expected to make significant contribution to regional economy. And improved regional image is anticipated to lure visitors to revisit the County after the sports events. Based on an analysis of economic ripple effects in previously hosted venues, the 64th Gyeonggi-do Sports Festival is predicted to generate around KRW71.2 billion (approx. $66.6 million) in production inducement effect, about KRW30.5 billion (approx. $28.5 million) in value added inducement effect, and new jobs of over 550.

As the venue for the provincial sports festival this year, all citizens of the County are ready to welcome athletes, their families, volunteers and audience with comfortable accommodations, safe foods and other conveniences for its successful hosting. Harmonious and impressive hospitality of the County government and citizens for athletes and visitors is expected to build a foothold for further enhancing brand value of Yangpyeong County.

Meanwhile, the County government is implementing a variety of programs to promote health and welfare of citizens. The local health center and social welfare center are jointly operating health promotion and exercise programs, such as stretching, weight training and outdoor walking, in the eastern part of the County. The County authority has been operating the health promotion program in the central district of the County since 2015.

Mayor Kim Sun-kyo of Yangpyeong County, and Deputy Mayor Joo Jong-wan (right) of Zaozhuang Cty, sign a cooperative contract.

In an effort to promote green tourism and sports tourism, the County authority is developing tour programs of staying for one-night-two-days. Health-related business aims to provide visitors with chances of enhancing health and happiness by developing health promotion and tourism products. Capitalizing on less developed natural environment, the County government is fostering unique health and healing tourism industry through which tourists can take rest, eat, enjoy and recover health. As part of this endeavor, the County authority hosted an international symposium on health tourism in October 2015, publicizing health tourism brand of the County. Along with this, it recently built a health and welfare plaza to promote health and welfare of aged residents.

Besides, a delegation led by Mayor Kim Sun-kyo of Yangpyeong County visited its sister city zaozhuang, China in early March 2018 to discuss subjects of expanding exchanges in a wide range of areas including economy, tourism, youth, sports and administration between the two cities. Specifically, the two parties discussed matters of holding exhibition of local indigenous products, exchange of tourists, reciprocal home stay of middle school students of two cities, exchange of youth culture and sports, and exchange of public officials for on-the-job training. They also discussed a way of building a network for exchange and cooperation. The two parties concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for expanding areas of exchange. And members of the delegation of Yangpyeong County made first-hand observation on major facilities of zaozhuang and visited OCI, a Korean manufacturer in the city.

The Symbolic Sculpture for the 64th Gyeonggi Sports Festival
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