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Korea Sports Promotion Foundation

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Korea Sports Promotion Foundation
Native name
국민체육진흥공단
FoundedApril 20, 1989; 35 years ago (1989-04-20)
Headquarters
Seoul
,
South Korea
OwnerMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Websitehttps://www.kspo.or.kr

The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) is a government-funded independently operated company based in Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1989 to continue the legacy of the 1988 Summer Olympics, it is run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

History

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The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation was founded as the Seoul Olympic Sports Promotion Foundation the year after the 1988 Summer Olympics hosted by Seoul.[1] Its original mandate was to manage the sports facilities, which have been opened for public use, specifically built for the Olympics due to concerns raised about Olympic venues being unused and going to waste at the end of the competition. The KSPO was founded to promote the use of those facilities by the public. Since then, it has expanded to include facilitating and supporting community-based sports programs, promoting an active lifestyle to the public and funding research in athlete performance.[2]

The company receives funding from the government and revenue earned from Sports Toto, one of the country's few legal betting services.[2][3]

In addition, when cable TV was launched in 1995, a cable channel called 'Korea Sports TV' was also operated, but management difficulties worsened due to the IMF crisis, so it was transferred to SBS in 1999 and changed to SBS Sports the following year, and continues to this day.

Sports

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The KSPO sponsors two professional sports team (cycling and women's football) and athletes in the Olympic disciplines of canoeing, diving, fencing and marathon running and Paralympic skiing.

Notable athletes on its roster include fencers Kim Jung-hwan and Gu Bon-gil and diver Woo Ha-ram.[9]

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References

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  1. ^ "The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation". Olympics.com. June 17, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "[INTERVIEW] Sports Promotion Foundation chief proposes diverse sports exchanges with N. Korea". The Korea Times. January 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "국민체육진흥기금" (in Korean). kspo.or.kr.
  4. ^ KSPO 스포츠단 — 카누
  5. ^ KSPO 스포츠단 — 다이빙
  6. ^ KSPO 스포츠단 — 펜싱
  7. ^ KSPO 스포츠단 — 마라톤
  8. ^ KSPO 스포츠단 — 장애인스키
  9. ^ "국민체육진흥공단, 김정환·구본길·우하람 환영 행사". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). August 11, 2021.
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