More than anything else, Incheon Metropolitan City will concentrate on hosting the Asian Games in 2014 successively to make the sports competition a world class event.
During the bidding campaign, Incheon put an emphasis on hosting the ``best ever’’ Asian Games and the city, which succeeded in hosting the games by defeating New Delhi, India in Kuwait on April 14, has completed its scheme.
To live up to voters’ expectations, organizers aim to make the event as spectacular as the Olympics, with its first mission to build athlete villages and stadiums.
The city plans to construct a sports town around Munhak Stadium, which hosted games in the World Cup 2002, including an indoor stadium and swimming pool.
On a 150,000-pyeong site around the stadium, the athlete village, which can accommodate about 2,300 will be built. All the welfare facilities will be transformed into elementary and middle schools after the Asian Games.
Six sport multiplexes will be built and five stadiums for five different sports will also be constructed. Soongui Stadium will also be remodeled.
The city will build a hockey field and an indoor stadium at Kongchon-dong and a Dream Park which can host shooting, horse riding, water polo, canoeing and rowing at Kyungsu-dong.
Stadiums for rugby, cycling, archery and badminton will be built at Suwoon-dong.
A yacht course will be developed around Mooui Island and will be used as an ocean sports complex after the games.
``We will cooperate with the government thoroughly for the remaining days,’’ Ahn Sang-soo, the mayor of Incheon, said.
``Incheon will strive to upgrade the Asian Games with its state-of-the-art infrastructure,’’ he said.
Another key factor for a successful Asian Games is finance.
Incheon pledged that it would provide members of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) with free accommodation and airfare.
The proposal will cost about 20 billion won ($21 million) and ``Vision 2014’’ will require $18 billion.
Along with the money, the expense of setting up the athlete villages, stadiums and infrastructure will increase.
Above all, Incheon needs to secure funds. For the athlete villages, the city plans to raise 4.9 trillion won from national and municipal coffers and individual investment.
The city has signed a sponsorship deal with Shinhan Bank for $15 million, too.
Incheon will receive six billion won from sponsorships with other companies and municipal expenditure.
Incheon Asian Games Bidding companies are expecting total profits to reach 200 billion won through broadcasting fees, advertisements, ticket selling, patent rights and a lottery. Net profit is expected to be 100 billion won after paying agency commissions and expenses of the OCA.
The Pusan Asian Games in 2002 earned 50 billion won.
Incheon decided to spend more money by providing free accommodation and air fares to win the bid for the Asian Games in the campaign against India’s New Delhi.
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