Yongin Special City Gathering Opinions on Bandabi Sports Center Construction
Yongin Special City (Mayor Lee Sang-il) discussed the 'Bandabi Sports Center Construction Project' being promoted to expand sports infrastructure befitting a major city of 1.5 million people.
The city announced on the 28th that it had derived joint cooperation measures necessary for project implementation at a 'Yongin Bandabi Sports Center Construction' communication meeting held on the 26th to find a breakthrough in the Bandabi Sports Center construction project.
The meeting, held at the conference room of the Yongin Disabled Sports Association on the 3rd floor of Mir Stadium in Samga-dong, Cheorin-gu, was attended by approximately 20 officials including city officials, members of the Self-Governance and Administration Committee of the Yongin Special City Council, the Yongin Disabled Sports Association, disabled sports organizations, the Yongin Branch of the Korea Association of Parents of the Disabled, the Yongin Branch of the Gyeonggi Province Association of Deaf-Mutes, and the Yongin Disabled Independent Living Center.
At this meeting, representatives of disability organizations requested △securing convenience spaces such as showers and changing rooms △allocating usage times between people with disabilities and non-disabled people during facility operations △creating multipurpose sports spaces and environments for hosting competitions △transportation measures including shuttle bus operations for convenient mobility and securing designated parking areas for people with disabilities.
As the city confirmed that all participants shared an understanding of the necessity for expanding sports infrastructure, it plans to present the 'Bandabi Sports Center Construction Project,' which will reflect the opinions raised at this meeting, to the Yongin Special City Council's extraordinary session to be held in September.
A city official stated, "The 'Bandabi Sports Center Construction' public property management plan was rejected three times by the city council, so we held this communication meeting to gain the understanding and cooperation of related parties and to create sports facilities centered on user needs," and added, "We hope the Yongin Special City Council will actively show consideration and cooperation at the community level so that the Bandabi Sports Center, which breaks down barriers of disability, can definitely be built in Yongin."
The Bandabi Sports Center is planned to be built with a total floor area of 23,700 square meters, including a parking tower, on the temporary parking lot site of Yongin Mir Stadium in Samga-dong, Cheorin-gu.
The city has secured 4 billion won in national treasury through a call for projects by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the construction of community-oriented (disability-type) national sports centers.
The Bandabi Sports Center is a public sports facility designed for use by both people with disabilities and non-disabled people. It takes its name from Asiatic black bear 'Bandabi,' the mascot of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, and aims to promote community sports activities for people with disabilities and social integration in the local community.