Lotte Launches Ski Team to Expand Snow Sports Base

Recruitment of Four National Athletes Targeting the 2026 Winter Olympics
Including Financial and Training Support, Mental Training... Creating an Environment Dedicated to Performance Improvement
Lotte Supports 17.5 Billion KRW over 9 Years as Chairman Company of Korea Ski Association, Contributing to Athlete Skill Development

Lotte Ski & Snowboard Team player Lee Seung-hoon in action (Photo by Lotte Holdings).

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] Lotte has established a ski and snowboard team and is strengthening support for promising young athletes with high growth potential. They have taken direct action to nurture the second Olympic medalist to follow Lee Sang-ho, who won the first-ever silver medal in snowboarding at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in snow events.

On the 13th, Lotte announced the launch of the 'Lotte Ski & Snowboard Team' and the recruitment of four promising youth athletes who will be the future of Korea's snow sports. All four athletes are national representatives and are expected to perform well at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

Lee Chae-woon (16), who competes in the snowboard halfpipe event, ranked 18th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and took first place in the halfpipe and third place in slopestyle at the Junior World Championships held the same year. Lee Seung-hoon (17) ranked 16th in freestyle skiing halfpipe at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and placed 4th in ski halfpipe at the Junior World Championships that year. Jung Dae-yoon (17) became the youngest ever to advance to the finals in the moguls event at the 2022 Ski World Cup, finishing 13th. Choi Ga-on (14), regarded as one of the biggest prospects in domestic snow sports, also joined the Lotte ski team. Choi ranked first in the snowboard halfpipe at the 2022 Junior World Championships and is expected to shine at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The Lotte ski team provides athletes with signing bonuses, domestic and international personal training expenses, and various equipment. Since the athletes are national representatives, they usually train with the national team, and during personal training periods, they focus on improving their skills with Lotte's support. Joint training with ski and snowboard training camps led by renowned overseas coaches is also planned.

In addition to training, the Lotte ski team offers customized educational programs for growing athletes, including mental training, English learning, and health management. To allow athletes to concentrate solely on improving their performance, a dedicated team manager will systematically manage training schedules, visa issuance, and participation in domestic and international competitions.

Lee Seung-hoon of the Lotte ski team said, "I am very happy to join the Lotte ski team," adding, "I will train harder and strive to become the best athlete as much as I have been supported."

Meanwhile, Shin Dong-bin, Chairman of Lotte, served as the President of the Korea Ski Association from November 2014 to 2018, working to boost athletes' morale, organize joint training, overseas training, participation in international competitions, and equipment support to enhance the skills of national team athletes. Chairman Shin is known for his special affection for skiing, having been a ski athlete during his school days. He has continued to support athletes by, for example, providing the Arai Resort in Japan as a training site for the national team.

Since taking on the role of chairman of the Korea Ski Association (KSA) in 2014, Lotte has invested over 17.5 billion KRW over the past nine years, contributing to the expansion of the base and skill improvement of skiing and snowboarding, which are less popular winter sports. To motivate athletes, the reward system was expanded to include not only medalists but also those placing 4th to 6th in international competitions such as the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cups. They have also signed MOUs with ski associations from snow sport powerhouses such as the United States, Canada, and Finland to lead technical and information exchanges.

(From left) Jeong Daeyun, Choi Gaon, Lee Seunghoon, and Lee Chaewoon are taking a commemorative photo after the founding ceremony of the Lotte Ski & Snowboard Team. Photo by Lotte Holdings.

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