SK telecom’s fencing contribution reaches $22 mn over 20 yrs

Fencers compete in the SK Telecom International Grand Prix Fencing Championships at the SK Handball Stadium in Seoul, on May. [Courtesy of SK telecom Co.]

The South Korean men’s sabre fencing team clinched the gold medal in the team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, bringing attention to SK telecom Co., a long-time sponsor of the sport.

Since assuming the presidency of the Korea Fencing Federation in 2003, the Korean telco has supported fencing for over 20 years, contributing about 30 billion won ($22 million) to the sport through the federation and other initiatives.

SK telecom has funded overseas training and international competitions for national athletes and has hosted the annual SK telecom International Grand Prix Fencing competition in Korea since 2004.

For the Paris Olympics, SK telecom built a fencing piste at Jincheon National Training Center that meets Olympic standards and replicated conditions such as crowd noise and lighting for realistic training.

Additionally, the company dispatched a dedicated support team to Paris, including seven training partners and medical trainers, and increased the number of performance analysts.

To ensure the athletes could enjoy Korean food, they arranged for daily lunch box deliveries from a Korean restaurant near the Champs-Élysées.

Choi Shin-won, former chairman of SK networks and current president of the Korea Fencing Federation, visited the fencing events at the Paris Olympics to encourage the athletes throughout the competition.