Incheon Sports Research Centre to Launch in First Half of the Year… “A Control Tower to Inherit the Asian Games Legacy”

The Incheon Sports Research Centre will launch in the first half of this year as an affiliated institution of the Incheon Research Institute. The Incheon City Council plans to eventually transition the centre into an independent foundation, nurturing it as a professional research institution overseeing Incheon’s sports policies.

The Incheon City Council’s member research group, ‘Incheon Sports Research Centre Establishment Study Group (Representative Member Park Pan-soon)’, held its first seminar on the 21st at the Cultural Welfare Committee seminar room to discuss the purpose and operational direction of the centre's establishment.

Attending the seminar were Representative Park Pan-soon (People Power Party, Proportional), Lee Sun-ok (People Power Party, Namdong 2), Lim Kwan-man (People Power Party, Jung-gu 1), Shin Chung-sik (Independent, Seo-gu 4), Park Chang-ho (People Power Party, Proportional), as well as officials from Incheon City, the Incheon Sports Council, and experts in the sports field.

In his presentation, Representative Park Pan-soon stated, “The Incheon Sports Research Centre will systematically inherit and develop the legacy of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and will be responsible for research and development, policy support, and presenting a mid- to long-term vision for the promotion of sports in Incheon.”

Representative Park has emphasised the need for a dedicated organisation for the Asian Games legacy project, and has been laying the institutional groundwork for the centre's establishment through city council questions, administrative audits, related ordinance amendments, and budget securing since 2023.

On this day, Representative Park also presented a phased operational roadmap. He stated, “This year, we will launch as an affiliated centre of the Incheon Research Institute, but next year we will strengthen independence through entrustment to a private professional institution, and after 2028, we must transition into a foundation to perform its original functions.”

Professor Lim Sae-mi from Incheon University’s Department of Sports Science, who participated as a discussant, pointed out, “Given the many difficulties faced until the establishment of the centre, continuous efforts from related departments will be crucial after its launch,” and added, “Entrustment operation is inevitable to secure expertise.”

An official from the Incheon Sports Council suggested, “The budget scale is insufficient compared to the centre's role,” and stated, “A collaborative structure that considers Incheon’s sports issues together is necessary.”

Park Hyuk, Director of the Incheon City Culture and Sports Bureau, stated, “We will do our utmost to provide administrative support so that the centre can launch without any issues in the first half of this year.”