Olympic Heritage Groups Ink Pact to Promote Olympic Values

The Korea Olympic Legacy Association (KOLA) and the Olympic Research Center at Korea National Sports University (KNSU) have formalized a partnership to bolster the preservation and promotion of Olympic heritage in South Korea. The two organizations, key players in their respective fields, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 19th.

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This agreement is meaningful in that it connects field activities for the preservation and succession of Olympic heritage with academic research.

KOLA, established in 2015, has focused on discovering and preserving Olympic legacies. KNSU's Olympic Research Center, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019, has concentrated on Olympic research and education. This collaboration signifies a crucial step in connecting practical, on-the-ground efforts in heritage conservation with rigorous academic inquiry.

Officials highlighted the significance of linking KOLA's field activities with the research conducted by KNSU. The goal is to systematically unearth and study the wealth of records and experiences accumulated through South Korea's hosting of major Olympic events, including the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics and the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. This initiative aims to build valuable social and educational assets for future generations.

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By systematically discovering and researching Korea's accumulated Olympic records and experiences, we will create social and educational assets that can be shared with future generations.

KNSU professor Jang Ik-young emphasized that leveraging the diverse records, stories, and resources from these Olympic Games is essential. He stated that such systematic research and succession efforts will not only re-illuminate the historical value of Korean sports but also provide a critical foundation for exploring the future direction of the Olympic movement.

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Systematically researching and inheriting the diverse records and stories accumulated through this process will be an important foundation for re-examining the historical value of Korean sports and exploring the future direction of the Olympic movement.