Ace Bed said on the 6th that it will sponsor the Korea Biathlon Union with a total of 300 million won in support over the next three years. The sponsorship came after news that "the face of Korean biathlon," naturalized athlete Yekaterina Avvakumova (36) from Russia, has recently been continuing her career with her own money without a team.
The support funds will be donated at 100 million won each year. They will be used for Avvakumova's salary and training costs, as well as expense for the national team's overseas training camps. Avvakumova and the national team are currently preparing for the Almaty Winter Asian Games to be held in 2029.
Biathlon, known as "the marathon of the snowy fields," is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and shooting. The Korea national team has continued steady results on the international stage while overcoming poor training conditions.
Avvakumova has competed for the Korea national team since her special naturalization in Dec. 2016. In the women's 15-kilometer individual at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018, she finished 16th, setting the best Olympic result ever by a Korean athlete. At the Harbin Winter Asian Games in 2025, she won the first Asian Games gold medal in the history of Korean biathlon in the women's 7.5-kilometer sprint. She also took silver in the women's 4x6-kilometer relay at the same event.
An Ace Bed official said, "We deeply empathized with the unfortunate reality of Avvakumova, who, despite being a Winter Asian Games gold medalist with top-level skills, had to continue training alone without a team," adding, "We wanted to provide practical and long-term support so that her challenge will bear greater fruit. We hope this sponsorship leads to more interest in the biathlon event."