[Vice Minister’s Column] Milan Winter Olympic Games to Elevate Korea’s Standing

This coming February, the Winter Olympic Games will be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy. It will be the world’s largest winter sports festival and a stage where winter sports athletes see their long-held dreams come true.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) is providing comprehensive support so that our athletes can fully demonstrate their abilities on the Olympic stage.
First, since last July we have steadily pursued performance enhancement programs in preparation for the Milan Winter Olympic Games. We have supported improvements to training equipment and facilities tailored to the characteristics and needs of each sport, while also actively backing overseas training camps and participation in international competitions so athletes can gain experience on the global stage. In addition, we have combined this with expert psychological coaching, medical and nutritional support, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based sports science so that athletes can perform without wavering even under the pressure of major events.
Second, during the Games we will continue to help the delegation adapt smoothly to the local environment and maintain peak condition on competition days. We will operate a catering support center in Italy to provide Korean-style boxed meals to the athletes. Even in an unfamiliar setting, we plan to take meticulous care of the strength that comes from proper meals so that they can fully display the skills they have prepared.
Third, we are treating the safety of the delegation as our highest priority. MCST will carefully manage every step of the process, from the moment the team departs for the Games until they return home. Since last November, we have formed and operated a preparation task force together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Counter-Terrorism Center, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), and other relevant bodies. As head of this task force, I have personally overseen all aspects of immigration procedures, local stay, and crisis response. On site, we will also run a main operations center led by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) to provide close support to the delegation through incident and accident response, competition monitoring, and medical services.
Fourth, we have prepared in advance for various contingencies that may arise during competition. Together with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), we distributed sport-specific manuals and conducted prior training so that both athletes and coaches can fully understand the rules for each event. We have also systematized the steps coaches should take immediately after a competition to respond to potential misjudgments by officials.
Compared with the past, Korea’s winter sports now feature a more diverse range of events, and the pool of athletes has steadily expanded. In speed skating, the outstanding performances of Lee Sang-hwa have inspired the emergence of the so-called “Lee Sang-hwa kids.” Following Korea’s first-ever Olympic medal in snowboard at the 2018 Winter Olympics (PyeongChang 2018), a new generation of promising snowboard athletes has been growing. Experience gained from competing in bobsleigh since the 2014 Winter Olympics has also led to the rise of athletes who now rank among the world’s best.
What we need most now is the interest and support of the Korean people. I hope you will watch over and warmly encourage our athletes as they take on new challenges on snow and ice with the Flag of South Korea (Taegeukgi) close to their hearts.
I also ask for your special interest and support for the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, which will follow in March after the Milan Winter Olympic Games. The journey of our Paralympic Games delegation, which will stand on the stage in Italy after countless hours of training and challenge, will deliver tension and deep emotion no less than the Olympic Games.
Dae-hyun Kim, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST)