Jeju’s First National Para Games Draw 9,141 Participants; 1,200 Vehicles Deployed for Barrier-Free Mobility

【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 A total of 9,141 people, including 5,677 athletes, will gather in Jeju for the first National Para Games to be held on the island. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is preparing 39 venues, more than 1,200 transportation vehicles, and barrier-free facilities for the six-day event beginning on the 11th.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 9th, the 46th National Para Games will be held across Jeju from the 11th to the 16th. Participants include 5,677 athletes and 3,464 officials and other personnel, for a total of 9,141 people.
The Games will feature 31 sports, including gateball, goalball, wheelchair rugby, boccia, swimming, athletics, and wheelchair fencing. Athletes with physical, visual, intellectual and developmental, hearing, and brain lesions disabilities will participate.
This is the first time the National Para Games have been held in Jeju. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province completed venue assignments and the certification and approval procedures, while upgrading facilities to ensure that athletes can travel and watch competitions without inconvenience.
Twenty-six venues were renovated. At 10 of them, elevators, wheelchair lifts, ramps, and accessible spectator seating were added or expanded. Before the opening, 28 temporary ramps and 52 mobile accessible toilets will also be installed.
A total of 626 wheelchair ramps are being installed sequentially at accommodations. Shooting, rowing, and track cycling, for which Jeju has no regulation venues, will be held at venues outside the island.

Because the Games are being held on an island, transportation arrangements for the participating teams are a key part of the preparations.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province will operate more than 1,200 buses, taxis, rental cars, and other transportation vehicles according to the competition schedule. Lift-equipped special vehicles and special transportation services from the Jeju Transportation Support Center for the Mobility Disadvantaged will also be deployed for wheelchair users and others with limited mobility.
A transportation control room will operate from the 10th through the 17th to manage vehicle assignments and operations. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province consulted with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Jeju Regional Aviation Administration, airlines, and Korea Airports Corporation to request additional flights to Jeju and the deployment of larger aircraft. The parties also completed consultations on priority use of boarding bridges and lifts, expanding security screening lanes, and operating a dedicated rental-car pickup area at the airport for athletes with disabilities.
The torch, which helped build anticipation for the Games, was lit at 5 p.m. on the 8th at Tamna Culture Plaza in Jeju City.
After being placed at the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province government office, the torch will depart on the 10th and travel through 31 sections in Jeju City and Seogwipo City by the 11th. A total of 175 torchbearers will carry it onward to Jeju World Cup Stadium.
The relay format also reflects Jeju and the characteristics of the Para Games. A Jeju haenyeo will serve as a torchbearer, and a mounted relay featuring the autonomous police mounted unit will be held. A wheelchair user with a disability will carry the torch using a wearable robot, followed by relays involving students from Yeongji School, para-athletes, and winners of the student sports competition.

The torch will arrive at Jeju World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 11th and be lit during the opening ceremony. The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. that day.
Professional dancers, including members of the Jeju Provincial Dance Company, and robots will perform together, while a large-scale drone show will also be presented. The torch is scheduled to be lit at around 7:54 p.m.
A program linking attendance with local spending will also be introduced. The opening ceremony will use non-fungible token (NFT)-based digital tickets for the first time in the history of the National Para Games.
Those who enter the opening ceremony with a digital ticket and visit and authenticate their attendance at venues three times, including the opening ceremony, can receive 10,000 won in Tamnaneunjeon, Jeju’s local currency. Free admission or discounts at designated public tourist attractions will also be offered.
A promotional center will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day during the Games at the plaza of Jeju World Cup Stadium. A 7-meter-tall floral sculpture modeled after Kkiyo, the mascot of the National Para Games, and cultural and artistic events will also be presented.
Wi Seong-gon, governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, said, "I hope the athletes will showcase the skills they have worked hard to develop and enjoy their time in Jeju," adding, "I ask residents to visit the venues and cheer on the participating teams."


[email protected] Reporter Jeong Yong-bok Reporter