Seoul in the running for Olympic comeback
While the North Jeolla Province may have beaten the capital in the bid to host the 2036 Games, officials said this week that eight sports will take place in the bustling city to take advantage of its existing sports infrastructure, having already hosted the Summer Games in 1988.
"The venue plans reflect opinions of the International Olympic Committee and other stakeholders. While making the most of existing infrastructure, the plans also meet international standards," said Yoo Hee-sook, head of the province's Olympic bidding committee, according to Yonhap. "Hosting the Summer Olympics here will strengthen our national brand."
Seoul has agreed to host athletics, handball, tennis, gymnastics, volleyball and track races in cycling, plus some preliminary games in basketball and football should the Asian country be awarded the Games. The official bid region, North Jeolla, will provide 32 of the venues, and 19 other competition sites will be in other regions. Daegu is set to host shooting events, while Gwangju will have some football preliminary matches and the gold medal game for baseball. Jeonju will have the archery finals, plus skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball and BMX. Other cities and counties in North Jeolla, including Muju and Gochang, will also host events, provincial officials said.
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Yoo added that the possibility of having Seoul as a formal co-host "has not been explored."
Plans for the official bid are slowly coming together, however, last month representative Yoon Joon-byung of the Democratic Party of Korea criticised organisers for failing to meet the International Olympic Committee's standards for hosting the Olympics: a compact stadium layout, and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's approval requirement, which asks the local government to cover at least 40% of the total project cost.
Furthermore, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's presidential policy announced the administration's national tasks in August after he took office, and it did not include the Jeonju Olympics. A preliminary feasibility study for the bid has also yet to be released.
Other host hopefuls have announced much more developed plans in the last few months. India received a major government endorsement to host the centenary edition of the Commonwealth Games 2030 in Ahmedabad, solidifying the country's intention to welcome high-profile sporting events. Munich's residents voted in favour of hosting an edition of the Olympics last month, making clear democratic progress in Germany's ambitions. Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Türkiye), Nusantara (Indonesia) and Santiago (Chile) are also in the running.