The closing ceremony of the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade is held at the main stadium in Gwangju on July 14.

The closing ceremony of the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade is held at the main stadium in Gwangju on July 14.

The youth sports festival of the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade has finished its 12-day run full of excitement and amidst a flurry of final medals.

The “Sharing the Light: Youth is the Light of the Future” closing ceremony was held over three hours at the main stadium in Gwangju on July 14. The ceremony had a festive atmosphere and youth from 143 countries from around the world shared in the fun. The five stars of the Universiade emblem were set up on the stadium grounds and athletes, volunteers and spectators alike reminded each other of the friendships they built over the past twelve days as they bid farewell to each other.

During the closing ceremony, student cheering squads held joint performances and a video of the past twelve days was played on the jumbo screen. Participants in the Gwangju Universiade watched the video and cheered on their teammates and rivals who did their best during the games.

After the extinguishing of the Universiade flame, which had been lit for twelve days in a Gwangju dubbed as the “City of Light,” or, “Bitgeul,” the “Sharing the Light” performances were held one after the other. The traditional game of torch spinning was performed and then the melody of the “Bitgoeul Arirang” song, a reinterpretation that combined gugak, jazz, musicals and classical music, resonated across the stadium. Pop stars including SHINee, EXID and Jinusean also performed, continuing the festive mood.

'The 'Sharing the Light' closing ceremony is held at the main stadium in Gwangju.

The ‘Sharing the Light’ closing ceremony is held at the main stadium in Gwangju.

International University Sports Federation (FISU) President Claude-Louis Gallien said the Gwangju Summer Universiade was full of dreams, ambition and legends. The official Universiade flag was then lowered, thereby officially closing the Gwangju Summer Universiade. The flag was then passed to Ko Wen-je, the mayor of Taipei, the host city of the 2017 Summer Universiade. Then, the city of Taipei threw a “Youth, Diverse, Inclusion” performance.

 The official Universiade flag is passed to Ko Wen-je, mayor of Taipei, the host city of the 2017 Summer Universiade.

The official Universiade flag is passed to Ko Wen-je, mayor of Taipei, the host city of the 2017 Summer Universiade.

 

 Taiwanese athletes hold up banners that promote their capital as the next host city of the Summer Universiade, during the closing ceremony on July 14.

Taiwanese athletes hold up banners that promote their capital as the next host city of the Summer Universiade, during the closing ceremony on July 14.

A total of 12,885 people competed in 21 sports at the Gwangju Summer Universiade. Korea was ranked first in the medal count, with 47 gold medals, 32 silvers and 29 bronzes. Russia came in second with 34 golds, 39 silvers and 49 bronzes, followed by China, which won 34 golds, 22 silvers and 16 bronzes. It is a first for Korea to top the medal tables in an international summer sports event and the Korean athletes had much to celebrate.

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 Athletes and officials from around the world march into the stadium together, regardless of their nationality, during the closing ceremony on July 14.

Athletes and officials from around the world march into the stadium together, regardless of their nationality, during the closing ceremony on July 14.

Many new records were set at the Gwangju Universiade. In women’s recurve archery, Ki Bobae of Korea scored 686 points, rewriting the sport’s history. The Taiwanese women’s archery team also set a record in the team competition. In the men’s 100-meter sprint finals, Akani Simbine of South Africa broke the 10-second barrier for the first time at a Universiade, passing the finish line in 9.97 seconds.

U.S. swimmer Shannon Vreeland won the most gold medals, four, in the women’s 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle games and the women’s 400-meter and 800-meter relays. Ukrainian gymnast Oleg Verniaiev won the most medals, a total of six: a gold in the men’s individual all-around and parallel bars, a silver in the men’s floor exercise, and three bronzes in the men’s team competition, rings and the vault.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Jeon So-hyang, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
jun2@korea.kr