Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young attends the opening ceremony of training for the disabled... "Golden Ball" experience, too

*This content was translated by AI.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young attended the "2026 Paralympic Team Training Opening Ceremony" held at the Icheon Training Center on the 15th to encourage the disabled national team and exchange New Year's greetings with athletes and leaders, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

More than 150 people attended the training opening ceremony, including 90 athletes from the national team with disabilities in the east and summer, as well as the chairman of the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled, sports organizations and executives and employees of the provincial sports association for the disabled. Starting with the opening speech, Minister Choi Hwi-young's words of encouragement, wheelchair curling Nam Bong-gwang and table tennis Yoon Ji-yu's pledge to play for the national team, and celebratory performances were held at the event.

In particular, Minister Choi communicated with players by experiencing goalball, a visually impaired sports event. Minister Choi Hwi-young recommended policy makers to experience it in person, and emphasized strengthening communication with policy targets when establishing sports policies for the disabled as well as feeling the field firsthand.

In order to strengthen the international competitiveness of the disabled national team in 2026, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will expand support for international competitions by event, including competitions for obtaining participation, and strengthen overseas training support to prepare for major international competitions. Through this, we plan to support players to accumulate practical experience and increase their adaptability to the international stage.

In addition, it will provide customized intensive support for excellent athletes with high potential for winning medals and growth, such as nutrition, physical strength, psychology, and equipment, and systematically increase their performance by providing special training expenses reflecting the characteristics of the event and demand for training.

"As important international competitions such as the Milan/Cortina Winter Paralympics and the Asian Para Games in Aichi/Nagoya are scheduled in 2026, the government's role is more important so that our disabled national team can perform at its best," Minister Choi Hui-young said. "The Ministry of Culture will continue to support stable training conditions by reflecting the voices of the field so that athletes can focus on training."

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*This content was translated by AI.