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Sochi delegation of athletes stretches to 71

January 30, 2014

Korea’s national ski team members pose at Alpensia Ski Resort in Gangwon Province on Jan. 19. The Korean delegation to Sochi Winter Olympics has
increased to a record 71, with five more ski athletes added to compete in the event. (Yonhap)

By Kwon Ji-youn

The Korean delegation to the Sochi Winter Games has increased to a record 71, with five more athletes scheduled to compete in ski events.

The Korean Olympic Committee said Tuesday that the country has won two spots in the alpine snowboard event for the first time in history. Shin Bong-shik and Kim Sang-kyum will join snowboarder Kim Ho-jun, who will compete in the half-pipe event, at the Russian resort town.

Kim Kwang-jin and Park Hee-jin also qualified for the newly launched half-pipe ski event, and Seo Jee-won will join Seo Jung-hwa and Choi Jae-woo in the mogul ski event. In total, the delegation of skiers will include five alpine skiers, five freestyle skiers, four ski jumpers, four snowboarders as well as two athletes in cross country skiing.

Koreans will compete for the 98 possible medals in all events except for ice hockey. This year’s delegation, significantly larger than the 48 athletes sent to the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002, also includes 15 speed skaters 10 short-track speed skaters and three figure skaters, as well as five athletes in curling, 10 in bobsleigh, two in the biathlon, four in luge and two in skeleton.

Lee named flag bearer

Speed skater Lee Kyou-hyuk has been selected as the flag bearer for the Sochi Games, to lead the Korean Olympians into the Fisht stadium at the Sochi Winter Games opening ceremony on Feb. 7.

The 36-year-old veteran skater, who will compete in the Winter Games for the sixth time, will attempt to win his first Olympic medal in the men’s 500m and 1,000m, alongside compatriot and medal-contender Mo Tae-bum.

Choi Heung-chul, who will represent the country in the ski jump, and Shin Mi-sung, in curling, will lead the men’s and women’s teams, respectively. This year’s Games will mark Choi’s fifth Olympic appearance, while Shin and the curling team have booked their first Olympic tickets.

Lee will leave for Sochi on Feb. 1 with the first delegation team, which will include Kim Jae-yeol, head of the Korean athletes’ delegations; Kim Jung-haeng, president of the Korean Olympic Committee, and other officials.

Short track athletes will leave their training camp in France for Sochi on Feb. 5, while speed skaters will step foot in the resort town on Feb. 2 and 4. Figure-skaters, including reigning Olympic champion Kim Yu-na, will leave for Sochi on Feb. 12.