Minister Choi Hwiyeong Visits Milano Olympics Venues, Vows "Full Support for Korean Team"

by Park Pyunghee

Published 04 Feb.2026 08:22(KST)

Choi Hwiyeong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will attend the 2026 Milano-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics (2026 Milano Winter Olympics) as the head of the Korean government delegation.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that Minister Choi will visit Milan, Italy, from the 4th to the 8th to cheer for the Korean national team, inspect the on-site support system, and carry out international sports diplomacy.

On the 5th, Minister Choi is scheduled to visit the Milano Winter Olympics Athletes' Village. He plans to meet the athletes who are focusing on training and preparing for their events ahead of the Games, check whether they are experiencing any difficulties in their preparations, and encourage them so that they can compete without regrets and deliver their best performance. He will also express his appreciation to the support staff who are working hard on site.

Choi Hwiyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism]

Minister Choi will then visit the catering support center operating in Milan. He will check on the preparation status of the Korean lunch boxes that are delivered to the Athletes' Village twice a day to help the athletes adapt locally and manage their nutrition, and encourage the officials who are working to ensure flawless meal service throughout the Games.

On the same day, he will attend the opening ceremony of the Korea House. There, he will engage in sports diplomacy by meeting with members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and representatives of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from various countries. The opening ceremony will feature a Hanbok fashion show hosted by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation. With the theme of winter Hanbok suitable for the Winter Olympics, the event in Milan, a global hub of design and fashion, is expected to serve as an opportunity to showcase the beauty of Hanbok. There will also be a cover dance performance of the theme song from the globally popular “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” as well as celebratory performances by Korean vocalists active in Italy.

On the 6th, Minister Choi will attend a welcome reception hosted by the Italian Minister for Sport and Youth for sports ministers from various countries, where he will wish for the successful hosting of the Milano Winter Olympics and discuss ways to expand sports exchanges between Korea and Italy. He will then attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milano Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium in Milan as part of the government delegation.

On the 6th and 7th, Minister Choi plans to visit competition venues, including the figure skating team event, to cheer on Korean athletes. On the 7th, he will visit the Main Media Center to meet with Korean journalists who are working to vividly convey the excitement of the Winter Olympics to the Korean public and express his gratitude.

Minister Choi said, "I will visit the Olympic venues, which are the stage of dreams for our athletes, to personally check all factors that can affect their performance, including their training environment and local support conditions, and to add my encouragement and support," adding, "We will do everything necessary until the very end so that the athletes can fully demonstrate the skills they have prepared and complete the Games safely without injury."