Coca-Cola Sports Awards, 'Flower Boy Swordsman' Oh Sang-wook Wins MVP Award

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] At the ‘25th Coca-Cola Sports Awards’ hosted by Coca-Cola Korea, Oh Sang-wook, the world No. 1 ranked male sabre fencer, received the Most Valuable Player Award.

According to Coca-Cola Korea on the 28th, the Coca-Cola Sports Awards is the only amateur sports awards ceremony in Korea, started by Coca-Cola, which has been an Olympic partner since the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics for about 90 years, to support amateur sports that serve as the foundation for the development of Korean sports. Since 1995, it has encouraged over 500 athletes and coaches across various sports.

This year’s Coca-Cola Sports Awards presented awards in seven categories: ▲ Most Valuable Player Award to Oh Sang-wook (Fencing) ▲ Excellence Athlete Awards to Jo Gu-ham (Judo) and Kang Chae-young (Archery) ▲ Excellence Athlete Award (Disabled category) to the Men’s Wheelchair Basketball National Team ▲ Excellence Team Award to the Men’s Rugby National Team ▲ Rookie Awards to Jang Jun (Taekwondo) and An Se-young (Badminton) ▲ Excellence Coach Award to Jeong Jeong-yong, coach of the U-20 World Cup soccer team ▲ Merit Award to Choi Shin-won, President of the Korea Fencing Federation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual annual ceremony was replaced by individual award presentations and prize money delivery.

The prestigious Most Valuable Player Award went to national representative Oh Sang-wook, known as the world No. 1 and the ‘handsome swordsman.’ Oh won the gold medal in the men’s sabre team event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, followed by a double crown in the men’s sabre individual and team events at the 2023 World Fencing Championships in Budapest, Hungary, achieving a three-peat in the team event. He also swept gold medals at major international competitions last year, including the Asian Championships (individual and team) and the Universiade (individual and team).

The Excellence Athlete Awards were given to Jo Gu-ham, a ‘relentless hard worker’ who overcame injuries to win the 2019 International Judo Federation Abu Dhabi Grand Slam and other tournaments in the men’s 100kg judo category, and Kang Chae-young, who set a world record and won gold in the mixed team event at the 2019 World Archery Championships and claimed three titles at the 2019 Asian Archery Championships, expected to continue the legacy of ‘Shin-gung’ (divine archer).

The Excellence Athlete Award (Disabled category) was awarded to the men’s wheelchair basketball national team, which secured a spot at the Tokyo Paralympics for the first time in 20 years. The Excellence Team Award went to the men’s 7s rugby national team, which qualified for the Olympic finals for the first time since rugby was introduced to Korea in 1923.

The Rookie Award for men was given to Jang Jun, the world No. 1 ‘Taekwondo boy’ who rose to global stardom by winning the 2023 World Championships in Manchester, UK, and three consecutive World Grand Prix series titles. The women’s Rookie Award went to An Se-young, the ‘shuttlecock prodigy girl’ who debuted as the youngest national representative in middle school, defeated Olympic gold medalist and world champion Marin at the Rio Olympics, and has emerged as a new dark horse in international badminton, known as the ‘Giant Killer.’

The Excellence Coach Award was presented to Jeong Jeong-yong, coach of the U-20 soccer national team, who led the team to a runner-up finish at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup with his gentle charisma and leadership. The Merit Award was given to Choi Shin-won, president of the Korea Fencing Federation, who has continuously supported the development of Korea’s ‘world’s strongest’ fencing.

Choi Soo-jung, CEO of Coca-Cola Korea, said, “We are honored to support the athletes who have brightened Korea and the promising talents through the 25th Coca-Cola Sports Awards this year. We cheer for the precious moments of the athletes who challenged themselves and delivered the thrill of victory in their respective fields over the past year. Going forward, Coca-Cola Korea will continue to contribute to raising the status of Korean sports on the world stage by supporting amateur sports athletes, based on the belief that amateur sports are the foundation of Korea’s sports development.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.