Lee Sang-hyun, head of the Korean Cycling Federation who served as head of the Asian Games delegation, visits Paralympic Asian Games site: "Every athlete's challenge and achievement must be respected equally"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Sang-hyun (49), president of the Korean Cycling Federation and former head of the South Korean delegation for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, visited the site of the Paralympic Asian Games following the Asian Games to encourage the South Korean team and promote the values of integrated sports.

According to the Korean Cycling Federation, Lee visited the Izu Cycle Sports Center in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, at 12:00 p.m. on the 22nd to watch competitions featuring national Paralympic cycling athletes. He met with Park Heung-sik, head of the South Korean delegation, to congratulate them on their strong performance and present an encouragement fund. The visit was arranged to convey a message that the public interest and support poured into the Asian Games should extend to the Paralympic Asian Games as well, and that every athlete's challenge and achievement must be respected equally, regardless of disability status.

Subsequently, Lee visited the South Korean delegation's situation room in Nagoya at 5:30 p.m. on the same day to pay a courtesy call on Chung Jin-wan, president of the Korea Paralympic Committee. At the meeting, both sides expressed deep empathy for the need for sports science support to improve performance on the international stage and for the discovery and cultivation of promising athletes, based on the realities and conditions of the sports federation. They also engaged in in-depth discussions on specific cooperation plans that can be implemented at the federation level, such as expanding exchanges between Paralympic and able-bodied athletes and holding integrated competitions.

Lee stated, "Having served as head of the Asian Games delegation, I wanted to visit the Paralympic site in person to cheer for the athletes' passionate challenges and enthusiasm." He added, "I deeply appreciate the efforts of President Chung Jin-wan of the Korea Paralympic Committee, Delegation Head Park Heung-sik, and all coaches and officials who are dedicated to the success of our athletes."

Lee also encouraged athlete Jang Min-ho, a gold medalist in track and field at this tournament, saying, "I sincerely congratulate you on winning a valuable gold medal at the Paralympic Asian Games following your participation in the Asian Games. Since you have delivered great hope to the public, I hope you will continue to perform well in the remaining events." In response, Jang said, "Your direct support gives me great strength. I will repay it with good results."

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Paralympic Asian Games, the South Korean national cycling team has earned a total of 10 medals—six gold, one silver, and three bronze—as of 11:30 a.m. on the 23rd, performing as a key medal-winning sport. This achievement carries added significance as it was accomplished through the coordination between Paralympic athletes and able-bodied professional and recreational sports athletes.

In the track events on the 20th, pilot Kim Chae-yeon (500m individual pursuit gold medalist at the 2022 World Junior Championships), an able-bodied athlete from the Changnyeong County Office amateur team, participated in Park Hyun-mi's achievement of a double crown. In the men's B category 4,000m individual pursuit, Kim Jung-bin and pilot Yoon Jung-heon (Namyangju Fire Station), a star player from the Korean Cycling Federation Masters Cycling Tour, set a tournament record of 4 minutes 26 seconds 010 in the preliminary round before jointly winning the gold medal in the final.

Since taking office in February 2025, Lee has led efforts to activate integrated sports, including co-hosting an international cycling competition for Paralympic and able-bodied athletes at the the 15th Independence Day commemorative event. He has sponsored Paralympic track and field and golf athletes since 2023. In 2017, he established the "Public Interest Trust for Lee Sang-hyun's Cultural and Sports Activities for Disabled Youth" through the Ministry of Justice, continuously expanding cultural and sports experience opportunities for underprivileged youth.

Meanwhile, Lee is a prominent figure in the sports community who has served as head of an Olympic sport federation for three generations, following his grandfather, the late former LS Cable & System honorary chairman and former Korean Weightlifting Federation chairman Koo Tae-hoe, founder of LS Group, and his father, former Korean Mountaineering Federation chairman Lee In-jeong. Prospecs, a sports brand under LS Network, an affiliate of LS Group, is also contributing to the development of Paralympic sports by exclusively producing and supporting the uniforms for the South Korean delegation at this tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original