Four local governments in the central region of South Korea -- Daejeon, Sejong and the North and South Chungcheong provinces -- are gearing up in their shared bid to host the 2027 FISU World University Games.

The Chungcheong Megacity Bid Committee, a joint organization launched by the local governments for the bid, has completed the needed procedures, and is now working on promotions with local residents.

According to the CMBC, local residents in the Chungcheong Megacity region are supporting the bid to host the sporting event to contribute to the balanced growth of Korea under the slogan “With U, With Heart,” which calls for active participation to take a new leap for a new future.

Since Nov. 10, more than 3,000 people have signed an endorsement for the CMBC. The committee hopes to gain more than 1 million endorsements at its official website.

Residents have supported the bid to host the event through social media challenges and events such as a walkathon.

“Residents’ interest and support could be the biggest driving force in getting to host the event,” North Chungcheong Province Gov. Lee Si-jong said.

Civic groups, universities and the local sports scene in the region have supported the bid since June. Four volunteer service centers and 66 universities in the Chungcheong Megacity have promised cooperation, signing agreements with the committee.

Volunteers, who play an integral role in running of the games, are especially looking forward to the games. More than 1.5 million volunteers are registered between the four volunteer service centers.

Koo Hang-oh, 78, based in Daejeon, is eager to take part in a mega sporting event as a volunteer. He has served at multiple global sporting events, including the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade and 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.

“I would like to set a meaningful record of 10,000 hours of volunteering through the Chungcheong 2027 World University Games,” Koo said.

Athletic associations and cultural tour guides have promised to help the CMBC win the bid to host the sporting event.

The four local governments are preparing to launch separate committees consisting of figures from the sports scene, universities and civic groups for promotions, showing the world how passionate the local residents are.

The International University Sports Federation is set to announce the initial selection of potential host cities in January 2022. It will announce the final host city in January 2023.

Meanwhile, the 2021 FISU World University Games is to take place in Chengdu in China.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)