On February 29, SK Telecom announced that it held a reward ceremony for Hwang Sun-woo, the “face of Korean swimming,” following his remarkable performances at the FINA World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Hwang Sun-woo earned a gold medal in the 200m freestyle and a silver medal in the 800m relay at the Doha World Championships last month, achieving an impressive record. He became the first Korean athlete to win medals at three consecutive World Championships.
SK Telecom, which has been supporting Hwang Sun-woo since 2022, explained, “We presented a special award to encourage Hwang Sun-woo’s World Championship victory and wish him success at the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
After the ceremony, Hwang Sun-woo expressed, “I am grateful for the constant encouragement and support from SK Telecom,” adding, “I will continue to refine my skills to deliver a great performance at the Paris Olympics.”
SK Telecom supports national athletes across various non-mainstream sports, including swimming, weightlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, skateboarding, modern pentathlon, high jump, and breaking (breakdancing).
Among these athletes, swimmers like Hwang Sun-woo, weightlifter Park Hye-jeong, skateboarder Jo Hyun-joo, and breakdancer Wing (Kim Heon-woo) are looking forward to making their mark at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Additionally, SK Telecom has been running the “Sports Dream Tree” program since 2022 to discover and support high school student athletes, demonstrating their commitment to investing in the future.
Last year, Choi Jin-woo, a high jumper selected as a “Sports Dream Tree” athlete, represented at the Hangzhou Asian Games, while modern pentathlon athlete Shin Soo-min was selected for the national team this year, reflecting the early successes of this three-year program.
Kim Hee-seop, SKT’s communications director (vice president), stated, “On behalf of SK Telecom, I congratulate Hwang Sun-woo for his third consecutive medal at the World Championships and look forward to his success at the 2024 Paris Olympics. We will continue to lead the creation of social value through support for amateur sports athletes.”
Yoo Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr