By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee hosted an event to encourage the Korean athletes of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Seoul on Aug. 22.

The theme of the event, “You, who represented Korea, are the heroes of all of us,” was to honor the athletes who competed with the smallest number of athletes (since the 1984 Olympics) and delivered the best performance in history, inspiring and delighting the nation. 

The event was organized to honor not only the athletes and coaches who have raised the profile of K-Sports on the world stage with their passion, ambition, dedication, and commitment, but also all the people who worked together to make the Paris Games a success. (Olympic results: 144 athletes in 21 sports, 13 gold, 9 silver, 10 bronze medals)
 

The event was filled with people from all walks of life who have been part of every aspect of the Games. Athletes' families and leaders who completed the off-court races, sharing moments of frustration and elation; officials from the sports organizations who presented a new model of sports management with innovative technology and fair selection systems; staff from the Jincheon National Athletes' Village, the world's largest comprehensive sports training facility with state-of-the-art training equipment; chefs who prepared Korean lunches for the athletes in Paris; researchers from the Korea Institute of Sports Science who supported the national team based on their research in exercise physiology and mechanics and sports psychology; and police officers who participated in joint patrols as part of the Paris Olympic Safety Support Team.

Kim Min-jong (judo), Kim Woo-min (swimming), Kim Woo-jin (archery), Park Hye-jung (weightlifting), Park Tae-joon (taekwondo), Sung Seung-min (modern pentathlon), Shin Eun-cheol (sport climbing), Ahn Se-young (badminton), Lee Han-bit (wrestling) and Lim Ae-ji (boxing), Lim Jong-hoon (table tennis), and more than 270 other athletes and coaches from the Paris Games attended the event.

Among those were Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Korea Sports Federation President Lee Ki-heung, Korea Archery Federation President Chung Eui-sun, Korea Table Tennis Association President Yoo Seung-min, and others.

In his remarks, the president said that the country's performance at the Olympics, including 32 medals and eighth place overall, was the best ever, and that there were many records set by Korean athletes, such as the women's archery team's 10 consecutive Olympic titles, which will be hard for any country to break.

The President also encouraged the athletes who did not win medals, but who brought great emotions to our people. He emphasized that he will boldly innovate outdated practices to create a free and fair environment for young athletes to train and develop their skills in better conditions.

The president said he was so happy to have you this summer, even in the scorching heat and tropical nights, and repeatedly shouted “Team Korea, go!” to the Olympic heroes. The president had previously stayed up until dawn during the Paris Olympics to cheer on “Team Korea,” and made sure to send congratulations and messages to medal-winning athletes.