Park Joo-bong for badminton, the late Choi Dong-won for baseball, and Hwang Young-jo for marathons have been selected as the final candidates for the 2026 Korean Sports Heroes.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced that it selected these three individuals as final candidates following evaluation and recommendation procedures for this year's sports hero candidates.

The KSOC selects sports figures who have elevated the nation's prestige through outstanding achievements in the sports world, contributed to the development of South Korean sports, and serve as role models for fellow athletes as sports heroes.

Park Joo-bong won the gold medal in men's doubles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the silver medal in mixed doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

He left remarkable achievements such as winning the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships five times in total and the All England Open nine times. After retiring as an athlete, he has contributed to the development of badminton by working as a coach for national teams both domestically and internationally.

The late Choi Dong-won is a legend of South Korean baseball who recorded 103 career wins in professional baseball, 1,019 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.46.

In particular, he secured four wins in the 1984 Korean Series, leading the Lotte Giants to their first-ever championship in club history, and as a national team member, he contributed to victories at the 1977 Intercontinental Cup and the 1982 Baseball World Cup.

Hwang Young-jo is the gold medalist in the men's marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, rising to the top of the Olympic marathon 56 years after the late Sohn Kee-chung as a South Korean athlete.

He also won gold medals at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and the 1991 Sheffield Summer Universiade, and since his retirement, he has dedicated himself to nurturing the national team and future generations as a coach.

The public announcement of the final candidates and their major achievements can be checked on the websites of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the Korean Sports Heroes Hall of Fame (https://www.sports.or.kr/hero/main).

If there are any false facts or disqualifying factors in the candidates' achievement data, related information can be submitted until the 7th according to the methods guided in the announcement notice.

A public support survey for the three candidates will be conducted from the 14th of this month to October 22nd, and the final sports hero will be selected through evaluations by the Sports Hero Selection Committee, including these results.

(Photo courtesy of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, Yonhap News)