The competition already has official dates and will take place from 1 to 12 August 2027. It will be led by Kang Chang-hee as President of the Organising Committee and will feature 18 sports, including optional rowing, beach volleyball and golf.

As President of the Organising Committee of the FISU World University Games Chungcheong 2027 (CHUOC), Kang Chang-hee has recently been promoting the preparations for the FISU World University Games Chungcheong 2027. He is the person in charge of leading the preparations for the event under the one-president system.

On 11 March, Yu In Chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, officially appointed Kang Chang-hee as the new president of the CHUOC, overturning the previous system of joint leadership by the governors and mayors of the four provinces and cities in the Chungcheong region.

A six-term member of the National Assembly from Chungcheong, Kang served as the first Minister of Science and Technology (now the Ministry of Science and ICT) and 19th President of the National Assembly from 2012 to 2014.

The 2024 Nonsan Strawberry Festival promoted the CHUOC. FISU
The 2024 Nonsan Strawberry Festival promoted the CHUOC. FISU

He has retired from politics but remains active in various fields. He is a visiting professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Kang is the person chosen to gather administrative and financial support from various sectors for the preparation of the Games.

On 12 March 2024, President Kang began his work at the head of CHUOC in Sejong City. The good news came after the approval from the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in Lausanne, Switzerland on 1 March. The official dates for the FISU Games are from 1 to 12 August 2027.

The sports programme consists of 18 sports, including 3 elective sports such as rowing, beach volleyball and golf, and 15 compulsory sports. These include archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, badminton, basketball, diving, fencing, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball and water polo.

The 2024 Nonsan Strawberry Festival is celebrating the 26th anniversary.
The 2024 Nonsan Strawberry Festival is celebrating the 26th anniversary.

Lee Chang-seop, Vice President of CHUOC, said: "This decision by the FISU Executive Committee is an important milestone for the successful hosting of the 2027 FISU Games in Chungcheong. We are fully committed to ensuring that the Games set a benchmark for excellence".

With the arrival of spring, several events were held in Korea to promote the 2027 FISU Games in Chungcheong. One of them was the 2024 Nonsan Strawberry Festival, which took place from 21 to 24 March at the Nonsan Citizens' Family Park in its 26th year.