E2024-G055

Gwangju: A City Shining Through Sports

Narrative

Gwangju Metropolitan City is home to professional teams in baseball, football, and volleyball. In this city where the history and innovation of professional sports coexist, the three teams continue to uphold local pride in their respective arenas.

Baseball in Gwangju began with the Haitai Tigers in the 1980s. Using Mudeung Baseball Stadium as their home ground, they became one of the most prominent teams in Korean professional baseball during the 1980s and 1990s. When their parent company later changed to Kia Motors, the team was reestablished as the Kia Tigers. Today, they carry on Gwangju’s baseball legacy at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

In football, Gwangju FC, founded in 2010 by the Gwangju Citizen Professional Football Club, represents the city. The team plays its home games at Gwangju World Cup Stadium and features two mascots symbolizing the phoenix, named Voni and Hwani.

In volleyball, the AI Peppers, founded in 2021 by Pepper Savings Bank, lead the city’s team. The name combines “AI,” reflecting Gwangju’s growing artificial intelligence industry, with the name of its parent company. The team’s home court is Pepper Stadium.