- UK Scouts Relocate Amid Sweltering Conditions at World Scout Jamboree
- Extreme Heat and Safety Concerns Prompt Relocation of British and US Scouts
- Organizers Face Criticism as Hundreds Fall Ill Due to Unprecedented Heat at Jamboree
British scouts are departing a sweltering international competition in South Korea.
Hundreds have fallen unwell at the outdoor World Scout Jamboree, which is attended by more than 40,000 young people from around the world despite temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
Scout Association confirmed that the British contingent of 4,500, the largest in attendance, is moving from Saemangeum to Seoul.
The United States and Singaporean teams are also withdrawing their observers from the competition.
The South Korean government has announced that it will send an additional 60 medical personnel and 700 service employees to maintain the toilets and showers at the site for the next week when many nations will be present.
Scouts from around the world attend the world’s largest youth camp, the jamboree, every four years in a different location.
The preponderance of attendees are between 14 and 18 years old. There are 155 countries represented.
This will be the first jamboree since the pandemic and will last until August 12th.
Teenagers from Britain are being transported back to Seoul by bus and will spend the next week in accommodations.
They referred to toilets as a “health risk” and stated that children’s nutritional requirements were not being met.
The British team monitored the conditions for several days, allowing the organisers to improve them. But lost faith in their ability to keep everyone secure.
AccuWeather expects thunderstorms and significant humidity, making temperatures seem colder than 40 degrees Celsius.
The World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), the largest international Scouting organization, has reportedly requested that the Korean Scout Association, which is hosting the event, contemplate ending it early.
The movement reported that the host “decided to proceed with the event” and assured attendees that it was “doing everything possible to address the issues caused by the heatwave.”
The WOSM urged the South Korean government to “honor” its commitments to provide additional resources and make participant health and safety its “top priority.
UK Scouts, the country’s largest scouting organization, announced that its group would be relocated to hotels to “reduce the overall strain on the site.
It added that volunteers and others had labored to provide members with “sufficient food and water, shelter from the unusually hot weather, and toilets and washing facilities suitable for an event of this magnitude.”
The delegation will return home as scheduled on August 13.
The United Kingdom and United States teams have the funds and resources to relocate thousands of people in a hurry. Whereas many other countries at the event do not.
Safety concerns have prompted the United States to withdraw its athletes and transport them to an army garrison in Pyeongtaek.
Children’s parents at the campground were informed that no activities were taking place due to the weather and that some campers with dietary restrictions were not being accommodated.
Others have defended the event, stating that their children were upset that they were required to depart.
One north-east England mother said her 16-year-old daughter’s “great life experience” became a “survival mission.”
“She anticipated that it would be sweltering, but not this hot. “Their tents are too hot for them to cool down,” said a mother who did not wish to be identified.
Her daughter informed her that the showers and lavatories were “terrible and unsafe,” with “floating garbage, plasters, and hair” clogging the drains.
She was thrilled that her daughter was moving to Seoul, 197 kilometres (120 miles) from the campground.
Another parent said their daughter was airlifted back to the UK on Friday due to the severe situation. “My top priority was my daughter’s welfare,” they said.
Peter Naldrett, however, told that his two daughters were “frustrated, upset, and angry” about being forced to leave.
“My children say the restrooms are a bit filthy, but it’s manageable,” he said.
Shannon Swaffer, whose 15-year-old daughter is present at the event, reported that the children were “devastated that it ended prematurely.”
“According to all reports, the heat is intolerable, and both adults and children cannot continue,” she said, adding that her family had been “lifelong Scouts” and that the leaders had been “phenomenal.”
Rebecca Coldwell stated that her 17-year-old daughter received “outstanding” medical care for an infected wound, and she was “heartbroken” about being forced to relocate to lodgings.
Kristin Sayers of Virginia, US, spent $6,500 (£5,100) for her 17-year-old son Corey to attend the “nightmare” jamboree.
“He is acutely aware of how much money that is and the sacrifices our family made to send him. We could have accomplished so much with that money,” she told Reuters.
According to the Foreign Office, there are personnel on the ground assisting British scouts.
South Korea has issued its worst heat advisory in four years due to a scorching summer.
The preponderance of campers is between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. There are 155 countries represented.
In recent days, officials told Reuters that at least 600 individuals were treated for heat-related illnesses. Their nationality was not mentioned.
In response to complaints that authorities had not planned for excessive heat, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo pledged relief.
“The government will use all of its resources to ensure the jamboree can conclude safely during the heat wave,” he said.
Buses with air conditioning, water vehicles, and medical personnel were being dispatched.
