Summer Universiade director Marc Vandenplas, director of media and communications Dejan Susovic, director of development and special projects Laurent Briel, and Summer Universiade manager Jing Zhao have all made the trip to the South Korean city as the clock ticks down to the Games in little under 18 months' time.

The visit, due to last until Friday (February 14), is the first for FISU members since the expansion of the Gwangju 2015 Organising Committee and since its relocation to a new headquarters.

The delegation will be focusing its visit on a variety of inspection meetings on certain areas of preparation, as well as conducting educational seminars on Gwangju's Information technology and communication systems; accreditation; and television and media, which are professional fields in need of highly specialised knowledge, in order to prepare for a successful event.

The visit was a first for FISU members since phase three of preparations, which saw the expansion and relocation of the Gwangju 2015 Organising Committee ©Gwangju 2015

"This is a critical time for our Organising Committee as we have entered into the practical stage of preparations after the re-organisation," said Kim Yoon-suk, secretary general of the Gwangju Universiade Organising Committee.

"This visit from the FISU delegations will be a great opportunity to supplement on the areas needing development and host a successful Universiade."

To end the visit, the FISU delegation will also be holding preparation meetings for international events occurring in Gwangju next month, including the Supervision Committee Meeting and the FISU Seminar.

The 2015 Gwangju Universiade is due take place from  July 3 until 14 and is expected to see more than 20,000 participants from 170 countries competing.

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