The debate over Jeonju's bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics has intensified between Rep. Jeong Yeon-wook of the ruling People Power Party and Jeonbuk Province. Disagreements have emerged over various issues, including the interpretation of the Korean Sports Council's opinion, the submission of deferral documents, and the level of discussions regarding joint hosting with Seoul.
On October 6, Rep. Jeong released a statement citing documents from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requesting revisions to the hosting plan, the Korean Sports Council's opinion, and responses from Seoul, asserting that the preparations for the Jeonju Summer Olympics are inadequate.
The materials presented by Rep. Jeong include a request from the Ministry sent to Jeonbuk Province on May 4 for revisions to the hosting plan for the Jeonju Summer and Paralympic Games. The Ministry noted that the total project cost of 6.9 trillion won was underestimated compared to the 14.5 trillion won for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and 14.3 trillion won for the Paris 2024 Olympics, as well as the appropriate cost estimated at 10 to 11 trillion won from a preliminary feasibility study. The Ministry also indicated that the national funding proportion, which was 9%, could be increased to a maximum of 30%.
Concerns were also raised regarding the placement of venues, accommodations, and the athletes' village. The dispersed placement of venues across different cities was highlighted as problematic, given the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) demand for compact hosting. In terms of accommodations, there are only 2,409 rooms in Jeonbuk that meet the IOC's standards of 2 to 5 stars, which falls significantly short of the IOC's requirement of 40,926 rooms, and there are no five-star hotels available. The site for the athletes' village has yet to be determined, leading the Ministry to state that it cannot meet the IOC's requirement of being within 50 kilometers and a 60-minute travel time from the venues.
The budget issue was also addressed in the Korean Sports Council's opinion. According to Rep. Jeong's office, the additional review document sent by the Sports Council to the Ministry stated, "If we are to host the event, we must secure an appropriate budget to conduct the event at a level befitting Korea's stature; otherwise, it may be preferable not to host it at all."
In response, Jeonbuk Province expressed concern that this could be interpreted as the Sports Council advising against hosting the event. A Jeonbuk official refuted this claim in a conversation with this publication on October 6, stating, "It is not true that the Sports Council warned Jeonbuk not to host the event."
The official continued, "The additional review document submitted by the Sports Council to the Ministry includes some content from the advisory committee meeting report. This content reflects some comments made during the advisory committee meeting. The essence of these comments is that sufficient funding and financial support must be secured to successfully host the event. Extracting only certain comments from the meeting results and interpreting them as a 'warning against hosting' is a clear distortion."
A representative from the Korean Sports Council stated, "The Sports Council has never made an official position regarding Jeonbuk's bid for the Summer Olympics."
Conflicting claims also arose regarding the deferral of the review process. Initially, the Ministry planned to conclude the review related to the Jeonju Summer Olympics by the legal deadline of October 4. However, the review was postponed on September 16. Rep. Jeong's office claims that Jeonbuk requested the deferral without submitting an official document, relying only on verbal requests.
In contrast, a Jeonbuk official explained, "We formally submitted a request for deferral to the Ministry, considering the discussion schedule with Seoul. We attended the review committee meeting to explain the discussions with Seoul and requested the deferral, which was accepted by the committee."
According to Jeonbuk, the official document was sent to the Ministry on September 14, informing them that discussions were underway with Seoul regarding joint hosting to enhance the chances of securing the bid in international competition, and requesting that this be considered in the review by the international competition bid evaluation committee.
There are also differing interpretations regarding the joint hosting discussions with Seoul. On September 30, Seoul responded to Rep. Jeong's office, stating that Jeonbuk had only inquired about the possibility of joint hosting, but that specific details regarding financial contributions and personnel support had not been discussed between the two municipalities. Seoul added, "It is difficult to assess the possibility of joint hosting without specific proposals."
In response to Rep. Jeong's office's assertion that Seoul had taken a cautious stance on joint hosting, a Jeonbuk official clarified, "That is merely the judgment of the office."
However, both Seoul's response and Jeonbuk's explanation agree that financial contributions and personnel support have not yet been discussed. A Jeonbuk official stated, "Jeonbuk and Seoul are currently exchanging materials and engaging in detailed discussions as part of a normal process. Financial contributions and personnel support will be discussed step by step after the venue placement and the basic framework for joint hosting are confirmed."
Rep. Jeong previously claimed on September 17 that Jeonbuk had abandoned its plan for a standalone hosting. However, Jeonbuk maintains that while it prioritizes joint hosting with Seoul, it has not given up on the possibility of hosting alone.
A Jeonbuk official emphasized, "Claims that Jeonbuk has abandoned or given up on standalone hosting are not true. We are currently earnestly negotiating joint hosting with Seoul. Even if negotiations fail, we will not abandon the Olympic hosting but will shift our focus to pursuing standalone hosting in Jeonbuk."
Meanwhile, on October 6, the IOC revealed the next steps in the selection process for the host city of the 2036 Summer Olympics.
According to the IOC, seven countries have expressed interest in hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics: Germany, Hungary, India, Qatar, South Korea, South Africa, and Turkey. The IOC announced that it will not accept additional bids for the 2036 Games after October 31.
The bidding plans from these seven countries will be evaluated based on technical elements such as venue master plans, athlete experience, funding strategies, political and public support, operational capabilities, and legacy strategies. The alignment of the event vision with regional development plans and the goals of the Olympic movement will also be assessed. Among these, venue placement and funding are the items for which the Ministry has requested revisions from Jeonbuk.
IOC Chair Kirsty Coventry stated, "No matter where the Olympics are held, one thing must never change: athletes must be at the center of everything we do. Providing the best experience for athletes must always be the starting point for every host city."
Countries wishing to host must present their bidding plans via video to the IOC Future Host Commission next month. The IOC will complete feasibility assessments by March next year and will narrow down candidates for strategic dialogue. At this stage, bidding countries must submit initial responses to the host city questionnaire and key legal and financial guarantees, and will undergo on-site evaluations by the Future Host Commission.
In December 2028, focused discussions will be held with the selected candidates. These candidates must submit final responses to the questionnaire and all guarantees. The host city will be determined by a vote of the committee at the IOC General Assembly in mid-2029.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.