Gwangju Universiade torch arrives in S. Korea

The torch for the 2015 Summer Universiade has arrived in Seoul, an organizer said Monday, as South Korea prepares to launch a relay across the country for the competition.

The torch arrived in Seoul on Sunday after being carried through such French landmarks as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower as well as Taipei, the host of the 2017 Summer Universiade, according to the organizing committee.

The torch, lit in Paris, will travel some 3,700 kilometers in South Korea before reaching Gwangju for the opening ceremony.

The summer Universiade will run from July 3 to 14 in Gwangju, a metropolitan city some 330 kilometers south of Seoul. Gwangju is the third South Korean host of the Universiade, after Muju and Jeonju, both in North Jeolla Province, co-hosted the winter edition in 1997, and Daegu held the summer event in 2003.

Some 170 countries will send about 20,000 athletes and officials to Gwangju and its neighboring venue cities.

South Korea will field its largest-ever Summer Universiade delegation with 525 athletes and officials in all 21 sports. (Yonhap)