Buddhist support behind South Korea’s rising snowboard stars
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Gold medallist Choi Ga-on of South Korea with silver medallist Chloe Kim of United States and Mitsuki Ono of Japan celebrate on the podium during the victory ceremony for the women's snowboard halfpipe event on Feb 12.
PHOTO: REUTERS
SEOUL - As South Korean snowboarders rack up medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, attention has turned to a Buddhist monk who has supported winter sports athletes for more than two decades.
Venerable Hosan, head monk of Bongseonsa Temple, said, “Our athletes have worked so hard”, in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on Feb 12.
At this year’s Games, several medallists are part of the so-called “Dharma Kids”.
They include Kim Sang-gyeom, who won South Korea’s first medal of the Games and the country’s 400th Olympic medal overall in the snowboard parallel giant slalom; Yu Seung-eun, who claimed the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in women’s skiing or snowboarding in the big air event; and Choi Ga-on, who secured its first Olympic gold medal in skiing in the halfpipe.
Many of them either competed in the Dharma Snowboard Competition or received sponsorship from the Buddhist community since 2004. Venerable Hosan has led the competition from the beginning.
He first encountered snowboarding in 1995. While visiting a ski resort near Bongseonsa Temple in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, at the request of the resort operator, he received a voucher to use the facilities. He later became drawn to snowboarding.
At the time, snowboarders faced negative public perceptions, but he said he was captivated by the sense of “freedom” the sport offered.
“There was something in common with Buddhism’s pursuit of liberation from the cycle of birth and death,” he said.
As he spent time with young athletes, buying them meals and listening to their concerns about training, he began offering support.
Seeing that many had to cover training camp expenses with part-time jobs, he launched the Dharma Snowboard Competition.
Each event costs between 50 million won (S$43,770) and 100 million won, and it has been held for more than 20 years with support from the Buddhist community and corporate sponsors.
Lee Sang-ho, who delivered South Korea’s first Olympic medal in snowboarding at the Pyeongchang Games, also competed in the event, along with Kim and Choi. Athletes who received support later donated to help their juniors.
“Blessings are not something you simply wish for. They are something you build,” Venerable Hosan said. “What I give will return to me from somewhere else, with interest.” THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
