Jeonbuk strengthens its international network through sports diplomacy toward Africa ahead of the race for the 2036 Olympic Games
South Korea's Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province is expanding sports cooperation with African countries through the "Re; Play Together" project, under which a total of 616 pieces of sports equipment have been sent to young athletes in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia. According to data from Jeonbuk and the provincial Office of Education, the shipment includes equipment for 12 sports, among them football, taekwondo, shooting, archery and swimming. Some of the items had previously been used by students of Jeonbuk Physical Education Middle & High School, while part of the equipment was specially collected or purchased for this initiative. The sending ceremony was held on August 5, 2026, and the project was presented as a combination of assistance to young athletes, educational exchange and broader international sports cooperation. For Jeonbuk, which is seeking to build a profile as an international sports hub while simultaneously developing its bid project for the 2036 Summer Olympic Games, such programs also have the additional value of creating long-term ties outside South Korea.
The name "Re; Play Together" refers to the idea of restarting training sessions and matches that, in some communities, are limited by a lack of basic equipment. According to a report by the Korean agency Yonhap and local publications about the project, the initiative was not conceived merely as a one-off donation, but also as a way of connecting young people involved in sports in Jeonbuk with their peers in African countries. Jeonbuk State, the provincial office of education and sports high schools are participating in the project, giving sports diplomacy a pronounced educational component as well. The equipment will be distributed through diplomatic and international logistics channels to organizations and young athletes in the three countries. The listed recipients include Kirsty Coventry Academy in Zimbabwe, Waithaka Taekwondo Club in Kenya and MTC Hopsol Youth Soccer League in Namibia.
The project emerged from concrete requests for equipment
According to information published by Jeonbuk and the Korean media, the roots of the project go back to visits by sports representatives from Zimbabwe and Namibia to Jeonbuk during 2025. During those meetings, representatives from Africa pointed to a shortage of balls and other sports equipment needed by young athletes for regular training and competitions. Students from sports schools in Jeonbuk then agreed to donate some of the equipment they themselves had used, and the initiative grew into a joint program involving provincial authorities, educational institutions and schools. In this way, a local project acquired an international dimension without having to be based exclusively on major sporting events or ceremonial meetings. Practical assistance to clubs and academies became the central element of the program's first phase.
Among the 616 items sent are both used and new pieces of sports equipment. Korean sources state that the donation covers 12 sports, with football, taekwondo, shooting, archery and swimming among the publicly highlighted disciplines. Such a range reflects Jeonbuk's sporting profile, where specialized schools and clubs operate, as well as an effort to ensure that the project is not limited only to the most popular sport. According to Inside the Games, the response from Kenya came almost immediately: coaches and students from Waithaka Taekwondo Club in Nairobi gathered the day after the sending ceremony to thank the students from Jeonbuk and mark the arrival of the equipment. That detail illustrates the kind of direct connection the province wants to build among young athletes, clubs and educational institutions.
Kim Jong-phil, who heads Jeonbuk's department responsible for the bid for the 2036 Summer Olympic Games, said during the presentation of the initiative that the sports items with which students from Jeonbuk had developed their own ambitions should become a new source of hope for young people in Africa. Provincial authorities link the project to the values of inclusiveness and solidarity emphasized by the International Olympic Committee. Representatives of the education system additionally stress the experience of students who, by donating equipment, learn about responsibility, sharing and international cooperation. At the same time, Jeonbuk is announcing the possibility of expanding the program to additional countries and a larger number of sports, as well as developing reciprocal visit programs for young athletes.
Zimbabwe gives the project a particularly symbolic Olympic context
One of the recipients of the equipment, Kirsty Coventry Academy in Zimbabwe, bears the name of Zimbabwe's most successful Olympian and the current president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry. According to the IOC's official biography, Coventry won seven Olympic medals in swimming, including gold medals in the 200-metre backstroke in 2004 and 2008. She was elected IOC president on March 20, 2025, and took office in June of the same year, becoming the first woman and the first person from Africa to head the organization. After her sporting career, she developed programs that provide children in Zimbabwe with access to sport, which gives the academy a recognizable place in local youth development programs. The connection with an institution bearing her name gives the project additional symbolism, but the donation itself does not mean official support by the IOC president for Jeonbuk's bid and should not be interpreted that way.
That distinction is important because Olympic bids are no longer conducted according to the former model of major public campaigns and intensive lobbying of IOC members. In February 2026, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recalled that IOC rules for cities in the continuous dialogue phase restrict direct contacts with IOC members and international promotion that could constitute a violation of the rules governing the bidding process. The ministry also stated at the time that South Korean sports authorities had already had to warn Jeonbuk of its obligation to comply with those rules. Projects such as "Re; Play Together" should therefore be viewed primarily as part of broader international sports and educational cooperation, while the formal host selection procedure remains a separate process governed by IOC rules. Jeonbuk is seeking to build its international visibility precisely through longer-term relationships, sports exchanges and youth programs.
Jeonbuk outperformed Seoul in South Korea
Jeonbuk's bid gained strong momentum on February 28, 2025, when the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee selected the domestic candidate for the 2036 Olympic Games. In the final selection, Jeonbuk, with a project centered on Jeonju and a network of partner cities, competed against Seoul, host of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. According to official data from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, Jeonbuk received 49 of the 61 valid votes and thereby became the selected South Korean city or region for the further process. That result was significant because preference was given to a decentralized concept that does not concentrate the major sporting event exclusively in the capital. In its presentation, the province emphasized regional cooperation, existing infrastructure and the argument for more balanced development.
However, the domestic selection does not mean that the entire state-level process has been completed. In February 2026, Jeonbuk submitted an official application to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for national approval of the project, after which assessments and procedures at the central government level follow. The proposal published by the province envisages competitions being held in Jeonbuk while also using venues in other parts of South Korea, including Seoul, Daegu and Chungju. The province claims that relying on existing facilities could limit the cost of new infrastructure and achieve a more sustainable model. However, as of August 2026, questions related to agreements on venue use and final government approval remain open, so it is more accurate to speak of a South Korean bid project under development than of a completed and internationally confirmed candidacy.
According to an August 11 report by SeoulPn, one of the key practical issues remains the agreement between Jeonbuk and Seoul on the use of sports facilities. International networking is therefore only one part of the bid; equally important are the financial framework, infrastructure, inter-city cooperation, state guarantees and compliance with IOC rules.
The IOC has introduced a new timetable for 2036
On June 24, 2026, the International Olympic Committee confirmed a revised host selection system that will be applied in its full form for the first time to the 2036 Summer Olympic Games. Under the new schedule, the IOC Executive Board is expected in March 2027 to select, from among the interested parties, those that will move into the new strategic dialogue phase. More detailed consultations, technical analysis and visits to potential hosts will follow during 2027 and 2028, while targeted dialogue with preferred candidates is expected to open toward the end of 2028. The final host selection is scheduled for mid-2029 at an IOC Session. This means that all interested cities and countries face a multi-year process in which not only sports infrastructure but also sustainability, financial security, Games legacy and support from public institutions will be assessed.
Following the announcement of the IOC reform, Jeonbuk held consultations with international sports experts and identified entry into the strategic dialogue phase in 2027 as its first objective. The provincial administration says it wants to align its project with criteria such as sustainability, cooperation, transparency, flexibility and long-term legacy. In that context, sports diplomacy toward Africa can increase Jeonbuk's recognition as a region that does not view sport solely through infrastructure and competitions. Nevertheless, the international network itself cannot replace the IOC's formal requirements, state guarantees or a sustainable financial plan. The success of the bid will depend on whether Jeonbuk can combine the symbolic value of international projects with a convincing technical hosting model.
Ties with Africa are also being developed beyond the current donation
The "Re; Play Together" project is not Jeonbuk's first attempt to turn sports relations with Africa into more lasting cooperation. In September 2025, the province signed a letter of intent with Namibian authorities in Windhoek for a youth exchange program through sport. According to Jeonbuk's official announcement, the "Dream Kids Sports Camp" concept envisages reciprocal visits by young athletes, football and other sporting activities, and cultural exchange. Provincial representatives also visited MTC Hopsol Youth Soccer League at the time, an organization that is now among the recipients of equipment from the "Re; Play Together" project. Such continuity shows that the current shipment of equipment builds on contacts already established rather than appearing as an isolated gesture ahead of the Olympic process.
Jeonbuk has also expanded its international sports network through taekwondo and participation in international sports gatherings. Waithaka Taekwondo Club in Kenya therefore fits into a cooperation model that connects clubs, schools, coaches and young athletes, rather than only sports officials.
At the beginning of August 2026, the province also presented a broader development concept called "JB SPORTS VISION 2040". According to a report on the final presentation of that document, the plan includes strengthening competitiveness for international sporting events, expanding the sports-diplomacy network, developing infrastructure and creating an industrial ecosystem connected with sport. Specialization of different areas was also proposed: the wider Jeonju area for urban sports, the eastern part of the province for mountain and recreational disciplines, and the Saemangeum area for marine and water sports. For now, this is a development framework that still requires concrete projects, deadlines and financing. Nevertheless, it shows that Jeonbuk is using the 2036 bid as a starting point for a much broader regional development strategy.
A donation as a small project with long-term ambition
Compared with the billions that usually accompany Olympic infrastructure plans, 616 pieces of sports equipment represent a relatively small project. Its value for the recipients, however, is measured differently: in the availability of balls, protective equipment, sports clothing and other items without which training is difficult or impossible. For students in Jeonbuk, the project has an educational function because equipment they themselves used is given a new life in other sporting communities. For clubs in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia, the benefit is practical, while for provincial authorities the program simultaneously becomes an example of international cooperation that can be continued and expanded.
Jeonbuk has announced that after the pilot phase it will consider including additional countries and sports, organizing international competitions and programs in which young athletes from partner countries would come to South Korea. Whether "Re; Play Together" becomes a permanent network or remains a limited project will depend on continuity of funding, the interest of partner organizations and the quality of future exchanges. In the Olympic context, more important than the amount of equipment sent will be whether Jeonbuk can prove that it builds international ties over the long term and independently of a single bid cycle.
Before the international final stage, Jeonbuk must pass through a series of domestic and IOC stages. Sports diplomacy toward Africa is therefore not in itself proof of the strength of the bid, but one element of a broader strategy. If donations and exchanges grow into lasting partnerships among clubs, schools and young athletes, the impact of the program could outlive the Olympic race itself.
Sources:
- Yonhap News Agency – data on the shipment of 616 pieces of sports equipment to Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia on August 5, 2026, and the sports included (link)
- Inside the Games – details of the "Re; Play Together" project, equipment recipients and the response from Waithaka Taekwondo Club in Nairobi (link)
- Korean Sport & Olympic Committee – official result of the domestic selection of the candidate for the 2036 Olympic Games, including 49 of 61 votes for Jeonbuk (link)
- International Olympic Committee – new host selection process for the 2036 Games and planned host selection in mid-2029 (link)
- International Olympic Committee – official biography of President Kirsty Coventry and information on her sporting and administrative career (link)
- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea – clarification of IOC rules on international promotion and direct contacts during the continuous dialogue phase (link)
- Jeonbuk State – official announcement on submission of the application for government approval of the Olympic project in February 2026 (link)
- Jeonbuk State – official announcement on adapting the bid to the new IOC process and the goal of entering strategic dialogue in 2027 (link)
- Jeonbuk State – information on sports cooperation with Namibia and the "Dream Kids Sports Camp" program from 2025 (link)
- SeoulPn – current context of the domestic process, negotiations with Seoul on the use of sports facilities and deadlines in August 2026 (link)
- Pressian – report on the "JB SPORTS VISION 2040" development framework and the long-term international sports city strategy (link)