The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Yoo In-chon, hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) has called for public applications for the '2025-2026 strategic sports development project' and selected a total of five sports organizations, including badminton, shooting, swimming, archery, and fencing, as subsidized project operators.
Direct and multi-year support tailored to each sport for the sustainable growth of South Korean sports
South Korea achieved a total of 32 medals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics; however, it faces structural limitations such as a decline in the population. Accordingly, the Ministry has called for applications for the '2025-2026 strategic sports development project' aimed at expanding the base over the medium to long term and supporting performance improvement based on advanced science, while considering the characteristics of each sport.
The project's budget for '25 is a total of 5 billion won, and each selected organization will receive up to 1 billion won annually. Additionally, based on the project plans independently established by the sports organizations, a mid-term performance evaluation will be conducted, allowing the projects to be pursued for a maximum of four years (2+2) until the 2028 Olympics. The specifics of the project plans for the selected organizations will be finalized through consulting from collaborating institutions such as the Korea Institute of Sports Science.
For the selected sport of archery, there are plans to establish a national team reserve to promote continuous performance improvement and to enhance archery education in school physical education to expand the base of the sport. For shooting, plans are being made to promote training videos and analysis for fostering and managing excellent athletes, to visit specialized athlete schools for discovering new talent and expanding the base, and for inspection of shooting equipment through specialized repair companies to support the national team and professional athletes.
Through this direct and multi-year support tailored to each sports organization, it is expected that the autonomy and responsibility of the organizations will be strengthened, and a foundation for the sustainable development of South Korean sports will be established.
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