Vice Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Yun-jin on July 22 announces the results of the host city selection of the 2029 Invictus Games and the expected effects at a news conference for foreign correspondents at the Korea Press Center in Seoul's Jung-gu District. (Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)

By Jeong Euiseok

The country's No. 5 city of Daejeon in 2029 will host the first Invictus Games, a sports tournament for wounded veterans, held in Asia.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on July 20 said the London-based Invictus Games Foundation unanimously selected Daejeon to host the next tournament, beating out San Diego and Aalborg, Denmark.

Launched in 2014, this international sports competition for wounded, injured and sick soldiers seeks to help their physical, mental and social recovery and rehabilitation through sports. Held every two years since the 2018 edition, the games cover nine mandatory events like swimming, archery and athletics and two to three optional.

Daejeon Convention Center will host the 2029 tournament from Oct. 6-15, with an estimated 3,000 athletes, their families and officials from 26 countries expected to attend.

To prepare for the games, a special act related to the event will be enacted this year and the organizing committee will be launched next year.

The 2029 edition will introduce the first spatial design divided into four clusters (A through D) based on function and significance of a competition venue.

Cluster A will span accommodations, the convention center and stadiums; B will feature the theme "Creating Peak Movements of Achievement;" C "Extending the Games into the City"; and D "Uniting Memory, Recovery and Togetherness."

Vice Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Yun-jin on July 22 held a policy briefing for foreign correspondents on Daejeon's successful bid at the Seoul Press Center in the capital's Jung-gu District. She credited cooperation among the central and local governments and disabled veterans' organizations, the symbolism of being Asia's first to host the event and Korea's recovery from the scars of the 1950-53 Korean War.

On July 27, the ministry has invited 73 people to Korea including United Nations veterans and their families to an event marking UN Forces Participation Day. From July 24-29, they will attend the day's commemorative ceremony and tour sites like the National Museum of Korea, War Memorial of Korea and the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom.

innocence@korea.kr