Minister Choi Hwi Young Cheers on Figure Skating National Team Including Shin Jia

On February 6 (local time), Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi Young (second from left in the lower photo) visited the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, where the figure skating team event of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics was held, to cheer on the Korean athletes, together with International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board member Kim Jae Yeol (left), delegation head Lee Soo Kyung (second from right), and athletes' village head Kim Taek Soo (right).

In the figure skating team event, athletes from 10 countries compete, and the rankings of each country are determined by combining the results from four disciplines: men's singles, women's singles, pairs, and ice dance. Depending on the ranking in each discipline, points are awarded on a sliding scale from 10 to 1, and the total points across all disciplines are added up. The top five countries then advance to the free skating segment, which effectively serves as the final, where the medalists are decided. Since Korea does not have a pairs team, it is difficult to qualify for the free skating event, which can be considered the final round. However, the team entered the event in order to check athletes' physical condition for the upcoming individual events and to improve their adaptation to the ice conditions.

In the ice dance rhythm dance segment that day, the pair of Lim Hae Na and Quan Ye placed seventh to earn 4 points, and in the ladies' singles short program, Shin Jia finished fourth to earn 7 points. With a total of 11 points, Korea ranked seventh, 8 points behind fifth-place Canada.

For Korea, Cha Jun Hwan will compete in the men's singles short program on February 8.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.