"Young Athletes' Dreams Are at Stake": First Medalist Kim Sanggyeom Urges to Keep Olympic Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom

Possibility of Event Being Dropped Over Aging Field and Climate Change
Athletes Speak with One Voice on Social Media to Keep It in the Games

At the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, Kim Sanggyeom (37, High1), who delivered the first medal for Team Korea in the men's snowboard parallel giant slalom, left a meaningful message amid uncertainty over whether the event will remain on the Olympic program.

On the 8th (local time), after winning the silver medal in the men's snowboard parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, Kim Sanggyeom appealed for the event to remain in the Olympics at the medalists' press conference, saying, "This is about the future of our event and the dreams of young athletes."

The parallel giant slalom is an alpine snowboarding event in which two riders start side by side and compete for speed. This event, which used to determine rankings by individual times, was first introduced at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. Yonhap News

The parallel giant slalom is an alpine snowboarding event in which two competitors start side-by-side and race against each other for speed. Previously ranked by individual times, the event was first introduced at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and has been held in a parallel format since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. At the 2014 Sochi Games, both the parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom were contested, but only the parallel giant slalom has been retained since then.

This event also carries great symbolic significance in the history of Korean snow sports. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Lee Sangho won a silver medal, securing Korea's first-ever Olympic medal in a snow event, and at these Games, Kim Sanggyeom added another silver, meaning all of Korea's Olympic medals in skiing and snowboarding have come from this discipline. However, the parallel giant slalom is currently among the events being mentioned as potentially being dropped from the Olympics.

On the 8th (local time) at Livigno Snowpark in Italy, Kim Sanggyeom (left), who competed in the men's parallel giant slalom final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, is racing against Austria's Benjamin Karl. Yonhap News

As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reviews the overall Olympic program with a focus on sustainability and popularity, several factors have been cited: difficulties in securing sufficient snow due to climate change, declining interest among younger generations, and the relative dominance of older athletes. In fact, the men's gold medalist at these Games, Benjamin Karl of Austria, is 40 years old, and Roland Fischnaller of Italy, who currently tops the World Cup rankings, is 45. Given that experience and composure are crucial in this event, people even say that "forty is the prime age" for it.

Against this backdrop, athletes are stressing that the parallel giant slalom is not at odds with the future direction of the Olympics. They point out that men and women participate in balanced numbers, aligning with gender equality, and that competitions can be held as long as there is a slope, start and finish lines, and gates, which keeps costs relatively low. Another strength is that the event continues to be staged regularly at international competitions such as the World Cup, maintaining a solid fan base.

At Livigno Snowpark in Italy (local time), Kim Sanggyeom, who competed in the final of the men's parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, hugged Karl Benjamin of Austria, the gold medalist, after securing the silver medal. Yonhap News Agency

Even before the Olympics opened, athletes launched a campaign on social media using the hashtag "#keepPGSolympic" to call for the parallel giant slalom to remain an Olympic event. Karl said, "After the race, I spoke with officials from the International Ski Federation, and I heard they had very positive discussions with the IOC," adding, "Personally, I believe there is a 90% chance that the event will be retained."

Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic, regarded as the biggest star on the women's side, also said, "I think we showed at these Games that we deserve to stay in the Olympics," and added, "I hope opportunities will not be taken away from younger athletes."

Kim Sanggyeom, who never gave up on his dream even while working as a day laborer on construction sites, won the first Olympic medal of his career at the age of 37. He reiterated, "This event is not just about me as an individual; it concerns the future of my junior athletes and of snowboarding," and said, "I truly hope the parallel giant slalom will continue." Whether the event will remain on the program for the next Winter Olympics, to be held in the French Alps in 2030, has not yet been decided. Attention is now focused on the IOC's final decision and on the lobbying efforts of the international federation and the athletes.

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