Olympics: The Buddhist monk behind South Korea's snowboarding medals
At the Milano Cortina Games, three medals bear the mark of Venerable Hosan, abbot of the Bongseon Temple. All South Korean athletes in this discipline competed at the Dalma Open Championship, a tournament launched in 2002 by the Jogye Order. Born to support a marginal sport, it is now the country's leading snowboarding training venue. Like young people on snowboards, “In Buddhism, too, we seek ultimate liberation,” the monk said.
Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies) – There is an unexpected connection with Buddhism behind South Korea's snowboarding medals at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Halfpipe gold medallist Choi Gaon, Alpine silver medallist Kim Sang-kyum, big air bronze medallist Yu Seung-eun – as well as Lee Sang-ho, South Korea's first Olympic snowboarding medallist at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games – share one trait: They all participated in the Dalma Open Championship, a tournament launched in 2002 and organised by the Jogye Order, the country's main Buddhist institution.
Behind this unusual connection lies the intuition of Venerable Hosan, abbot of the Bongseon Temple in Namyangju, Gji Province, nicknamed the "godfather of snowboarding”.
His relationship with the sport began by chance. In 1995, he recited some prayers for safety at a ski resort, receiving a ski pass in exchange. He saw a kind of freedom in the movement of the athletes descending the slope.
“In Buddhism, too, we seek ultimate liberation from the cycle of birth and death,” he told the Yonhap news agency. “I felt I could relate to the hearts of those young people on their boards.”
So, he began to ski down the mountain himself, becoming aware of another reality. In South Korea, snowboarding was viewed as a marginal sport, with little government support or media coverage.
Young athletes had little or no opportunity to train consistently and with dedication, or to compete at high levels. So, Venerable Hosan decided, over 20 years ago, to launch a competition supported by his own savings, with the help of monks from other temples.
The name of the event stems from the Buddhist term dharma, a clear reference to the teachings of the Buddha.
The project gradually grew in size and importance, eventually becoming South Korea's largest international snowboard competition, offering athletes ranking points for the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup.
After PyeongChang was confirmed as the host of the 2018 Winter Games, the event's mission expanded to include developing promising young athletes with Olympic potential.
More than 20 years later, the event is South Korea's oldest source of snowboard talent, as well as the unexpected birthplace of the Dharma Kids.
.png)
12/02/2016 15:14
23/11/2017 11:01
15/02/2025 15:32
