Participants, including Korea Olympic Heritage Association President Cho Hyun-jae and Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Chairman Ha Hyung-joo, pose for a commemorative photo at a 2026 Olympic Day event held Tuesday in front of the National Sports Museum at Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Seoul. [Photo provided by Korea Olympic Heritage Association]
Participants, including Korea Olympic Heritage Association President Cho Hyun-jae and Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Chairman Ha Hyung-joo, pose for a commemorative photo at a 2026 Olympic Day event held Tuesday in front of the National Sports Museum at Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Seoul. [Photo provided by Korea Olympic Heritage Association]

The Korea Olympic Heritage Association, led by President Cho Hyun-jae, held a workshop Tuesday to mark 2026 Olympic Day, drawing about 100 sports officials — including Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Chairman Ha Hyung-joo — to the plaza in front of the National Sports Museum at Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Seoul.

The association then held a sponsorship appointment ceremony at Olympic Country Club in Goyang. June 23 is Olympic Day, established by the International Olympic Committee to reaffirm the Olympic spirit of fair competition and mutual respect.

Attendees carried placards themed around the Olympic core values of fair play, passion, solidarity, peace and respect as part of an Olympic Day performance. Participants also held in-depth discussions on how to highlight the significance of Olympic heritage accumulated through South Korea's sporting development and leverage it as an asset for educating future generations, fostering international exchange and advancing sports diplomacy.

"The Seoul Olympics was a pivotal turning point for South Korean sports and an opportunity for our society to engage with the world," Ha said. "I look forward to a wide range of activities that connect the Olympic spirit to social practice."

At the sponsorship agreement ceremony at Olympic Country Club, the association signed agreements with 15 related institutions and organizations, including the club itself, to promote Olympic values and sports culture. The participating organizations agreed to jointly pursue various projects to spread the Olympic spirit to future generations and the public through public-private cooperation.

Marking its first anniversary, the association is pursuing incorporation as a formal nonprofit to further systematize its structure and project base. It plans to expand programs including Olympic values education, international forum hosting, sports diplomacy network building and youth Olympic leadership initiatives.

The association also expressed ambitions to actively pursue domestic and international cooperation projects to build a healthy society grounded in Olympic values and the spirit of sport, and to position South Korea as a central player in the global Olympic movement.

"South Korea successfully hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics and delivered a message of peace and harmony to the world," Cho said. "We must now go beyond preserving Olympic heritage and take on the role of a global platform that spreads the Olympic spirit to future generations and the international community."

Meanwhile, Olympic Day traces its origins to 1948, when the IOC began holding events on June 23 to commemorate its founding in 1894. The day is now observed by national Olympic committees in more than 130 countries, with about 5 million people taking time to reflect on the values and meaning of the Olympic movement.


sports@heraldcorp.com