The athletes' village in Gwangju for the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade is now welcoming guests from around the world.

The event's organizing committee held a ceremony in the central plaza adorned with flags of participating nations on June 29 to welcome athletes from various countries. That day, the welcoming ceremony involved athletes from Kazakhstan and then Paraguay. It will continue until July 3 when the opening ceremony of the Gwangju Universiade is scheduled.

The ceremony started with the arrival of athletes, a performance by some B-boy break dancers, a welcoming speech and an announcement of admission. There were also an exchange of gifts and the hoisting of the flags of the participating nations. The anthem for the International University Sports Federation (FISU) was played, followed by a photo shoot.






Athletes from around the world are arriving in Gwangju one after the other, after Venezuelan and South African athletes landed in Korea first on June 26. FISU President Claude-Louis Gallien also arrived in Gwangju on June 27. Gallien began his official duties with a meeting of the heads of delegations that evening. VIPs from the FISU, including Gallien, will attend a FISU gala on July 2, the Gwangju Universiade opening ceremony on June 3 and the closing ceremony on July 14. As of midnight Sunday June 28, 486 athletes and officials from 41 nations had arrived in Korea.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee
jun2@korea.kr