Athletes heading to the Khanty-Mansiysk Winter Deaflympics 2015 pose for a photo during the Team Korea launch ceremony at the Korean Sports Training Center, the country's center for parasports in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province), on March 18.
Shouts of passion filled the auditorium on March 18. Team Korea was holding a launch ceremony for the upcoming Winter Khanty-Mansiysk Daeflympics 2015. The ceremony took place at the Korean Sports Training Center, the country's center for parasports in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province).
All attendees displayed their strong will to win by holding aloft their clenched fists. Attendees in the ceremony included about 100 athletes and staff, as well as Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism Kim Chong, President of the Korea Paralympic Committee Kim Sung-il and head coach Byun Seung il.
Both summer and winter Deaflympics are held every fourth year, a series of games organized for the hearing impaired. The upcoming Winter Deaflympics will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from March 28 to April 5. A total of 692 athletes from 27 countries will compete for gold in 31 events across five disciplines.
Korea will participate in the winter games for the first time with a 43-strong delegation in three disciplines. As the country ranked third two consecutive times in past summer Deaflympics, it hopes to have good results in the upcoming event.
“In order to help athletes achieve their goals in the upcoming event, in the Rio Paralympics 2016 and in the PyeongChang Paralympics 2018, the government will extend support for training programs, provide training venues and accommodations, develop training facilities and foster more amateur teams so that they can improve the country's overall capabilities,” said the sports ministry.
Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism Kim Chong delivers his congratulatory remarks during the launch ceremony on March 18.
Kang Sukhwa, vice president of the Korea Deaf Sports Federation, delivers his congratulatory remarks.
By Yoon Sojung Korea.net Staff Writer Photos: Jeon So-hyang, Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism arete@korea.kr