Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong will take part in the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, returning to "sports management" after two years.
According to the business community, Lee departed for Milan, Italy, on the morning of the 5th via the Seoul Gimpo Airport Business Aviation Center (SGBAC) in Gangseo District, Seoul.
During this trip, Lee is expected to watch the Winter Olympics and meet figures from global politics and sports, as well as key business partners.
The Olympics are considered a key stage for global business because businesspeople from around the world gather to cheer on their national teams and to network.
This schedule marks his first Olympic visit in two years since visiting Paris during the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the time, Lee attended a luncheon for global businesspeople at the Élysée Palace in Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, where he interacted with economic leaders from various countries and exchanged views on major economic issues.
He was also seen locally with Kim Jae-yeol, president of the International Skating Union (ISU) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commissioner (currently an Executive Board member), cheering on Oh Sang-uk, who won the first gold medal for the Korean team in the men's individual sabre in fencing.
At the time, it drew attention as his first Olympic attendance in 12 years since he watched the London Olympics in 2012 with his family, including former Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Leeum Museum of Art Honorary Director Hong Ra-hee, and Hotel Shilla President Lee Boo-jin.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics is the only Korean corporations among the 15 IOC top sponsors in the TOP (The Olympic Partner) program. It signed a TOP contract with the IOC in 1997 and has been an official sponsor in the wireless communications category since the "1998 Nagano Winter Olympics."