Hana to support Korea's Olympic athletes with funding for training, incentives

Hana Financial Group is providing financial support for Team Korea athletes heading to the Paris Olympics, with funding for training and incentives to encourage the competitors.

From left, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Lee Kee-heung, Hana Financial Group Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung and Chef de Mission Jeong Gang-sun at the launch ceremony for Korea's Paris Olympics delegation held at the Olympic Hall in southern Seoul on Tuesday. [HANA FINANCIAL GROUP]

Hana Financial Group provided financial support to Team Korea athletes at a launch ceremony on Tuesday for the delegation heading to the Paris Olympics.

The ceremony, held at the Olympic Hall in southern Seoul, featured Prime Minister Han Duck-soo joined by Culture Minister Yu In-chon and other sports officials delivering encouraging speeches to the athletes ahead of the Games, which will kick off later this month.

Hana Financial Group Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung provided financial incentives to the athletes, with funds going toward improving the athletes’ training environment and incentivizing Team Korea.

“I’m honored to help support, at least a little bit, the Korean athletes who are representing the country at the Olympics,” the vice chairman said.

The ceremony also brought together Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Lee Kee-heung, Democratic Party Rep. Chun Jae-soo, Chef de Mission Jeong Gang-sun and other sports officials, who expressed encouragement to Team Korea ahead of the sporting festival, which will take place in the French capital for the first time in a century.

“We send deep gratitude for the support provided by Hana Financial Group,” the KSOC president said. “I hope it can help boost the morale of the players and we will try our best so that it can lead to good results.”

This year’s Games will see a total of 144 Korean athletes competing across 22 sports — the smallest delegation since the Montreal Games in 1976, partially due to the failure of most Korean teams to qualify for the Games.

The Paris Olympics will run from July 26 through Aug. 11, with around 10,500 competitors set to participate across 32 sports.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]