GWANGJU – More than ten thousand participants and athletes need to be housed somewhere big. That spot is the Gwangju Athletes’ Village, a mini city inside the Korean metropolitan city.
With more than 20 residential buildings, 11 gates, and a maze of roads, getting lost would be first on the list of priorities to fix. The overall atmosphere is feel good, and countries sit together at lunch – although, as some of the Australian athletics team put it to me, the cafeteria design makes it hard to meet everyone.
What the experience did give me was an insight into how competitors lived away from home, in huge towers and shared rooms with facilities used by everyone attending. The restrictions placed on zones, and security made me feel uneasy at first; I was daunted by the amount of athletes walking past.
However, it was the training field, where countries including Malaysia and the Czech Republic were going through some leisurely drills that made realise there is a sense of camaraderie at the Universiade. Everyone’s here not just to compete, but to learn, educate, and take away beneficial memories for their future careers.
As a reporter, I wanted to jump right in and really find out what the athletes and officials do when not training. The Australian track & field competitors gave me the lowdown, indicating that a lot of time not outside is spent playing poker or activities in their allocated rooms. Numbering more than 200, the Uniroos presence in the Village was well felt.
Other athletes approached us wanting to trade pins, a trend that has absolutely taken off with everyone at the Universiade. It is the sort of access that allows you into the inner sanctum, where you spend time with the athletes, get to see incredible sport, and live moments with them that justify everything I’ve come across for.
Davis Harrigan (AUS), FISU Young Reporter