The Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council (president Kang Tae-sun) announced it will open an annex on Wednesday and begin full operations.
The council has more than 70 member sports federations, but its main building has long been too small to accommodate them all. About 30 federations have had to rent outside office space or work from scattered locations, while those that secured space in the main building were often crammed together, with five or six organizations sharing a single office.
The new annex sits on Neungdong-ro in Gwangjin-gu and spans roughly 1,650 square meters (1 pyeong equals 3.3 square meters). The dedicated sports administration facility includes offices for member federations, a large conference room, smaller meeting rooms, a lounge and storage space.
After receiving permission from the Seoul Metropolitan Government to use the facility, the council surveyed member federations on their space needs and carried out about two months of renovation work. With the annex now open, 14 federations have moved in. All member federations — except seven, including the futsal and gateball associations, which operate their own sports facilities and offices — will now work out of spaces managed by the council.
Kang said he had worked closely with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to create a stable working environment for the member federations. "The shortage of office space for member federations has been one of the longest-standing problems Seoul's sports community has struggled to solve," he said. "I am deeply grateful to the Seoul Metropolitan Government for understanding our difficulties and providing active support. We will continue to do our utmost to advance Seoul sports and improve sports welfare for citizens."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
