The emblem and mascot for the 2015 Universiade were unveiled by Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae and Chung Ui-hwa, head of the 2015 Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee, at a special ceremony in Seoul on Thursday.
김명섭 기자 msiron@ (From left) Chung Ui-hwa, head of the 2015 Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee, former national team basketball player Woo Ji-won, games mascot “Narubi,” actress Nam Bo-ra and Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae pose for photos at a special ceremony unveiling the mascot and emblem for the 2015 Gwangju Universiade in Seoul Thursday. Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald
The 28th Summer Universiade will be held in Gwangju for a 12-day run in early July in 2015. Under the slogan “Light up Tomorrow,” the global sports event for university students will bring together more than 2,000 participants from 170 countries.
(From left) Chung Ui-hwa, head of the 2015 Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee, former national team basketball player Woo Ji-won, games mascot “Narubi,” actress Nam Bo-ra and Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae pose for photos at a special ceremony unveiling the mascot and emblem for the 2015 Gwangju Universiade in Seoul Thursday. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)
The games’ emblem depicts the letter “u,” the symbol of the Universiade, as colorful outspread wings representing the five oceans and six continents of the globe. The overlapping color represents the harmony and friendship of young athletes, according to the local organizer.
The mascot named “Nuribi,” on the other hand, is a cute messenger of light, the symbol of Gwangju. The mascot was designed to introduce the vision of the Gwangju Unviersiade and also to convey the environmentally-friendly image of the city, the organizing committee said.
“This public launch of the emblem and mascot will be a good start toward a successful 2015 event,” Kang said at the ceremony. He added that the organizers are planning on forming a unified South Korean and North Korean athletes’ team for the 2015 Universiade.
The launching ceremony also featured various cultural performances, including new works by renowned multimedia artist Lee Lee-nam. The organizer also appointed Thursday former national team basketball player Woo Ji-won and actress Nam Bo-ra as publicity ambassadors for the games.
Gwangju won the right to host the event in 2009. Since its establishment in 2010, the local organizing committee has been working on setting out a games plan.
A total of 42 competition venues will be used for the 2015 Universiade. But to make it an environmentally friendly competition, the construction of new stadiums will be minimized. Only two venues ― a swimming pool and a multi-purpose gymnasium ― will be built for the games, while existing venues will be renovated, the organizer said.
By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
