President Park Geun-hye promised Friday to ensure central government support for the western city of Incheon to successfully host next year’s Asian Games, accepting the city’s calls for help in addressing budgetary problems with staging the event.

Incheon has struggled with a lack of money needed to host the quadrennial sporting event, with citizens launching a signature collection campaign calling for financial support from the central government. Last year, the city even threatened to give up the right to host the event.

“The government will try to ensure proper support for various projects Incheon citizens are hoping for,” Park said during a visit to the city government for a policy briefing. “First of all, the government will carry out possible support for a successful hosting of the 2014 Asian Games so they can contribute to national development.”

Park stressed, however, that the city government should try to make good use of sports and other facilities built for the Asiad so that citizens can take advantage of them for leisure and other purposes.

The 2014 Asiad will be held in Incheon, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul, from Sept. 19-Oct. 4. Incheon will be the third South Korean host of the Asian Games after Seoul in 1986 and Busan in 2002. (Yonhap News)