Behind Hangzhou's Golden Target, Hyundai Motor's Archery Support Continues the Legacy

Hangzhou AG, 11 Total Medals Including 4 Golds in Archery
Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo and Chairman Chung Eui-sun's 39 Years of Support
Longest Support Period Among Domestic Single-Sport Organizations
Introduction of Scientific Equipment, Systematic Training, and Development Systems

Our national archery team won 4 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The achievements of the archery team were made possible by the hard work of the athletes and coaching staff who aspired to become the best in the world. Additionally, the 39 years of continuous sponsorship from Hyundai Motor Group contributed significantly.

Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo of Hyundai Motor Group was appointed president of the Korea Archery Association in 1985. He was re-elected president four times until 1997. Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group and son of Honorary Chairman Chung, currently serves as the president of the Archery Association. This is the longest-running sponsorship in a single-sport sports association.

Chairman Chung Euisun of Hyundai Motor Group (left in the photo) congratulated and encouraged Korean national team archers Oh Jin-hyek, Lee Woo-seok, and Kim Je-deok, who won the gold medal, after the men's recurve team award ceremony on the 6th (local time).

Ahead of this Asian Games, Hyundai Motor Group and the Korea Archery Association provided full support, including customized training tailored to the host city, development of advanced technology-based training equipment, and managing the athletes' condition during the competition. Chairman Chung Eui-sun personally visited the Hangzhou competition venue to cheer on the Korean athletes. As president of the Asian Archery Federation, he also presented awards for the recurve individual event.

Hyundai Motor Group and the Archery Association set up a dedicated rest area in a hotel about 3 km from the competition venue. This was to ensure that athletes could rest sufficiently before and after matches to maintain their best condition. Physical therapy and showers were available in the rest area, along with a variety of snacks and beverages. They also contracted with a local Korean restaurant to provide Korean meals for the athletes during the competition period.

Preparation for the competition was meticulous. At the Jincheon National Training Center, where national team athletes gather, a training environment replicating the Hangzhou archery venue was created to help athletes adapt to real competition conditions. To help athletes maintain their competitive edge from international tournaments held earlier this year, the Chung Mong-koo Archery Tournament was held on the largest scale in August.

At the Puyang Inhu Sports Center in Hangzhou, China, during the men's team recurve archery event held on the 6th, Chairman Chung Eui-sun (second from the left in the middle row) joyfully responded to the cheering players who secured the gold medal.

Additionally, at the company level, they developed scientific training tools such as a high-precision shooting machine that selects the highest quality arrows, an automatic scoring device, and vision-based heart rate monitoring equipment to measure athletes' tension levels. Customized grips optimized for athletes' hands were also made using 3D printers.

Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo first became involved with archery in 1984 when he was president of Hyundai Precision (the predecessor of Hyundai Mobis). Watching athletes win gold medals at the LA Games, he decided to foster archery. The Archery Association was the first sports organization to introduce sports science equipment and encourage research and development. This is cited as the reason why archers worldwide prefer Korean-made equipment. A program to computerize and analyze athletes' practice volume and performance was also developed at that time.

The idea to start practicing archery in a baseball stadium filled with spectators also originated from Honorary Chairman Chung. In the 1990s, as Korean archery dominated various competitions, the World Archery Federation introduced a tournament format. Chairman Chung suggested training in noisy places to help athletes maintain concentration under any circumstances. Training moved from traditional places like samulnori venues and elementary school playgrounds to baseball stadiums.

On the 7th, after all archery events concluded at the Hangzhou Archery Stadium, Chairman Chung Eui-sun encouraged the archery national team players who gave their best for this Hangzhou competition.

Chairman Chung Eui-sun has been serving as president of the association since 2005. In 2008, he instructed a study on the "Revitalization Plan for Korean Archery," based on which the association established a mid- to long-term plan. This plan covered systematic nurturing of young talents, expanding the sport's base, improving the quality of coaches and referees, and enhancing sports diplomacy through archery.

Unlike many sports organizations that face internal conflicts, the Archery Association's operation centered on principles stands out. There are no unfair practices caused by regional or academic factions. While irregularities often occur in athlete selection, the Archery Association is an exception. Current performance is the most important criterion for national team selection, rather than reputation or past achievements. For the Hangzhou Games, which were postponed by a year, the selection trials were held again. Although athletes were selected last year, the principle was that the athlete with the best performance this year should participate.

A system for nurturing excellent athletes by age group, from youth to national team, has been established. Free English education is provided to help athletes adapt to international competitions, and support is given for education and seminar participation to train international referees.

Efforts are also made to create conditions for athletes to compete in optimal condition. For example, at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, trailers equipped with rest areas, physical therapy rooms, and showers were set up near the competition venue. Private security guards were hired for safe transportation, and armored vehicles were provided.

On the 7th, after all archery events concluded at the Hangzhou Archery Stadium, Chairman Chung Eui-sun encouraged the archery national team players who did their best for this Hangzhou competition and took a commemorative photo.

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