Global Elite University Students Gather on Taehwagang River: Moving Beyond Sports Event to Citizens' Festival

[Anchor]

An unique sports festival where students from prestigious global universities cut across the Taehwagang River, the Ulsan World Top University Rowing Festival, will be held on the Taehwagang River in Ulsan this month. This year, meticulous preparations are underway to increase citizen participation and significantly strengthen heatwave safety measures.

UBC Reporter Kim Young-hwan.

[Reporter]

Rowing boats surge forward simultaneously, cutting through the blue Taehwagang River.

The powerful splashes of water from the athletes rowing in sync paint the river white.

Whenever fierce races among students from world-renowned universities unfold, the area fills with the enthusiastic cheers of citizens.

Fourteen universities from eight countries will participate, including Harvard, MIT, and Yale in the United States, Oxford and Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and Peking University in China.

This year's focus is on transforming the event from a mere international sports competition into a festival where citizens can participate.

[Kim Sang-wook / Mayor of Ulsan: I believe there is no place in South Korea that is as well-equipped to foster rowing sports as our Ulsan. We hope this event will connect with the lives of our citizens.]

Mentoring programs connecting elite global university students with local youths will be expanded, and a supporters group open to any citizen alongside a national indoor rowing competition will also be organized.

Participating athletes will tour Ulsan's industrial sites and cultural heritage, directly experiencing the city's competitiveness.

As the event takes place in the midsummer heat, heatwave countermeasures have also been significantly reinforced.

Plans are underway to focus heavily on safety management, such as installing shading structures and cooling facilities throughout the venue, and deploying medical personnel and ambulances to respond to extreme heat.

Attention is gathering on whether the event can establish itself as a festival enjoyed together by citizens, going beyond a competition between athletes from top global universities.

(Photo and video by: Kim Young-gwan, UBC)