Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism CHAE Hwi-young (MCST) attended the “2026 National Team Training Opening Ceremony” held at the Jincheon National Training Center on January 7 (Wednesday) at 10:00 a.m., where he delivered words of encouragement to the national team athletes and exchanged New Year’s greetings with members of the sports community.

The opening ceremony was attended by approximately 600 participants, including national team athletes; officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC); representatives from member sports organizations; and officials from provincial, metropolitan, and local sports councils. Athletes KIM Woo-jin (archery), CHOI Min-jeong (short track speed skating), and coach KIM Sung-jin (modern pentathlon) shared their New Year’s resolutions through the “Athletes’ Oath,” and representative athletes from various fields recited the “Athletes’ Self-Purification Resolution,” pledging their commitment to fair and clean sports practices.

Minister CHAE stated, “With many major international competitions scheduled in 2026, such as the Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, I look forward to seeing our athletes demonstrate excellent performances at the upcoming international events.” He added, “The MCST will continue to provide support so that our athletes can focus on their training. In particular, I hope the entire sports community will work together to create a fair and violence-free sports environment.”