South Korea has chosen two of its most experienced winter sports athletes to lead the national delegation at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy. Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan and speed skater Park Ji-woo were named co-flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Milan–Cortina Games, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced Monday.
The opening ceremony will take place on Feb. 6, with Cha and Park carrying the national flag as representatives of Korea’s winter sports program. Both athletes are three-time Olympians, symbolizing consistency and longevity at the highest level of international competition.
Cha, 24, will be competing in his third consecutive Winter Olympics. He made his Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, where he finished 15th in front of a home crowd. Four years later in Beijing, he delivered a breakthrough performance, placing fifth — the highest-ever Olympic finish by a Korean male figure skater. Heading into Milan–Cortina, Cha appears to be in strong form after securing second place at the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Beijing, his final major competition before the Olympics.
Park, 27, also brings extensive Olympic experience to the role. She first competed at the PyeongChang Games in 2018, where she raced in the women’s mass start but did not advance to the final. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, she returned to the semifinals of the mass start event and also placed 30th in the 1,000 meters. At the upcoming Games, Park is slated to compete in the 1,500 meters and the mass start, events in which she has steadily built international experience.
The KSOC also confirmed that Korea will send a total of 71 athletes to the Milan–Cortina Olympics, an increase of six compared to the country’s delegation at the 2022 Beijing Games. Snowboarding will have the largest contingent, with 11 athletes, followed by short track speed skating and bobsleigh, which will each field 10 competitors.
With Cha and Park leading the delegation, Korea will enter the Winter Olympics backed by athletes who have not only competed on the sport’s biggest stage before, but who continue to represent the country’s growing strength across a wide range of winter disciplines.