Fencing athlete Kim Jun-ho receives the Blue Dragon Medal of Sports Merit, Archery athlete Im Si-hyeon receives the Republic of Korea Sports Award

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yoo In-chon, hereinafter referred to as MCST) held the ‘2024 Sports Development Merit Awards and 62nd Republic of Korea Sports Awards Ceremony’ at the The Plaza Hotel in Seoul on November 12. This year’s award recipients include 30 recipients of the Sports Medal, including 6 recipients of the Blue Dragon Medal, 6 recipients of the Sports Medal, and 8 recipients of the Republic of Korea Sports Awards, for a total of 44 people. Minister Yoo In-chon attended the ceremony to award and encourage the recipients.

Received the Sports Medal and Sports Medal for ‘Contribution to Sports Development’

The ‘Contribution to the Development of Sports’ is the highest honor in the sports field, awarded since 1973 to athletes and coaches who have contributed to the development of sports and raised the status of Korean sports. This year, a total of 31 people received the medal in the athlete/coach category, and the highest level, the Order of Sports Merit, Blue Dragon, went to 6 people: Busan Metropolitan City Hall athlete Kim Seo-jun (shooting), Hwaseong City Hall athlete Kim Jun-ho (former national fencing team), Samsung Life Insurance athlete Kim Hyeon-woo (wrestling), Keimyung University coach Ryu Su-jeong (archery), Seongnam City Disabled Sports Association coach Yoon Chu-ja (boccia), and Korea Land and Housing Corporation Vice President Jang Hye-jin (former national archery team).

The Sports Medal of Maengho was awarded to 6 people including Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Disabled Sports Association athlete Jeon Min-jae (track and field) and coach Lee Ho-rim (former national shooting team member), the Sports Medal of Geosang was awarded to 5 people including Gyeongsangbuk-do Disabled Cycling Federation coach Kim Jin-yeong and Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall athlete Hwang Woo-jin (modern pentathlon), the Sports Medal of Baekma was awarded to 9 people including Korea Wushu Association athlete Kim Myeong-jin and Korea Underwater Finswimming Association athlete Jang Seong-hyeok, the Sports Medal of Girin was awarded to 2 people including Daejeon Metropolitan City Disabled Bowling Association athlete Shim Jin-yong, and the Sports Medal of Honor was awarded to 3 people including Korea Bodybuilding Association instructor Oh Du-yoon.

In the category of those who have contributed to the development of national sports, a total of 5 people received medals. The Order of Sports Merit, Geosangjang went to World Taekwondo Federation President Cho Jeong-won, the Order of Sports Merit, Girinjang went to Gyeongsangbuk-do Sports Association Vice President Seo Jeong-hee, and the Order of Sports Merit went to Chungcheongbuk-do Sports Association for the Disabled Director of Sports Promotion Kim Dong-sik.

The 62nd Republic of Korea Sports Awards, winners including Im Si-hyeon

The ‘Republic of Korea Sports Award’, established in 1963, is an award presented to those who have contributed to the development of national sports. This year, eight athletes and referees were selected in six categories. The recipients of the Presidential Citation were Im Si-hyeon, an archer at Korea National Sport University who won three gold medals at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, for the ‘Game Award’; Du Hwa-jeong, a referee at the International Fencing Federation and the first female international fencing competition referee in Korea, for the ‘Referee Award’; Son Yeong-wook, the principal of Modong Middle School who contributed to the development of promising athletes, for the ‘Service Award’; Baek Nam-sik, the president of the Korea Para Goalball Association who earned the right to participate in the goalball Paralympics, for the ‘Paralympic Sports Award’; and Heo Yeong-shin, a teacher at Hansarang School who contributed to the development of paralympic sports as a boccia coach in Gyeonggi Province. A total of five people were selected.

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s commendation went to Choi Won-young, the director of Danyang City Sports Association, who contributed to the revitalization of recreational sports for the ‘Promotion Award’, and the ‘Outstanding Parent Award for Athletes’ went to Kim Gyu-nam, the father of national swimming team member Kim Woo-min, and Bang Yoon-jeong, the mother of national modern pentathlon team member Jeon Woong-tae.

Minister Yoo In-chon said, “I would like to thank the athletes who have given inspiration and hope to our people,” and added, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will do its best to provide institutional support to create an environment where athletes and coaches can focus on sports.”

Editor. Hong Se-yeong