[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin's long-term investment and personal support in snow sports have borne fruit with 18-year-old Choi Ga-on winning a gold medal in snowboarding at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, marking Korea's first-ever snowboarding achievement. Lotte's systematic support, which has invested over 30 billion won over 12 years since 2014, is considered a key factor in this achievement, expanding from simple donations to professional team operations and injury support.

February 14th (local time), the day 17-year-old Choi Ga-on (Sehwa Girls' High School) won South Korea's first gold medal in a snow sport and the first gold medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, coincidentally also marked Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin's 71st birthday. Born in Tokyo, Japan, on February 14th, 1955, Shin Dong-bin received a gift even more precious than Valentine's Day.

Shin Dong-bin's unspoken, unwavering support was also behind the 12 medals won in snow sports at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, including gold medals for Lee Seung-hoon in freestyle skiing halfpipe, Lee Chae-un in snowboarding slopestyle, and Kim Geon-hee in snowboarding halfpipe.

Chairman Shin's personal passion and leadership background

Chairman Shin Dong-bin began skiing at the age of six and, while at Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan, devoted himself to alpine skiing as a representative of both his school and prefecture. He likened skiing to "the destiny of a CEO who makes decisions and takes responsibility on his own," and once enjoyed skiing at Jungfraujoch in Switzerland while working at Nomura Securities in London, stating, "If I hadn't gone into management, I would have become a skier instead."

This personal affection continued even after he took office as the president of the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association in 2014 and provided free access to Japan's Arai Resort after he stepped down in 2018.

Lotte's specific investment scale and performance

Due to a lack of training facilities and the high cost of overseas training, South Korea had not won a medal in snow sports until the 2014 Winter Olympics. However, the efforts of Shin Dong-bin, a former amateur skier who took office as president of the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association in 2014, are credited with dramatically transforming the landscape of Korean snow sports.

The Lotte Ski & Snowboard Team provides athletes with training and equipment support, as well as customized educational programs that include mental training, English language learning, and health management. To ensure athletes can focus on training and competition, a dedicated team manager is assigned to systematically manage training schedules, visa issuance, and participation in domestic and international competitions.

Since 2014, Lotte has provided over 30 billion won in support of skiing and snowboarding, focusing on international competition participation fees, equipment, and training improvements. Founded in 2022, the Lotte Ski & Snowboard Team has recruited promising athletes such as Choi Ga-on and Yoo Seung-eun (bronze medalist in Big Air), providing them with signing bonuses, training expenses, and mental and English language support.

Lotte also dispatched two equipment experts, six medical and physical support staff, three coaches, and four administrative staff (a total of 15 people) to this Olympics to enhance the competitiveness of the athletes.

Choi Ga-on's Overcoming Injury and Shin Dong-bin's Hidden Role

Choi Ga-on (then 16 years old), whose career was in danger due to a spinal fracture during training for the 2024 Swiss World Cup in Lacs, received full medical expenses of 70 million won under Chairman Shin's "golden time surgery" order.

Chairman Shin said, "The pain of a shattered dream cannot be measured in money. I will take responsibility, so please find a world-class medical team." He also conveyed a message to Choi: "Focus solely on your recovery." Choi Ga-on expressed his gratitude in a handwritten letter. This support paid off with a gold medal after rehabilitation, and led to multiple medals, including a silver medal for Kim Sang-gyeom and a bronze medal for Yoo Seung-eun.

Long-term strategic impact and future prospects

Lotte's support expanded its reach, encompassing system improvements such as increased prize money for 4th to 6th place, and the company received a plaque of appreciation from the Korea Sports Council in January 2026. Immediately following the gold medal, Chairman Shin congratulated Choi Ga-on, saying, "I'm proud of her for overcoming rehabilitation," and expressed his commitment to continued support. This is seen as a prime example of corporate leadership that transformed a previously undeveloped snow sport into a medal powerhouse.

Cho Sang-yeol, senior vice president of the Korea Ski and Snowboard Association, said, "Since the new president himself is a former skier, his affection for winter sports is special and sincere," and added, "Through generous sponsorship, we consistently emphasize the philosophy of 'let's not spare support so that talented athletes can focus solely on their competition.'"