South Korea's signature figure skating player Cha Jun-hwan will join the newly formed Seoul Metropolitan Workplace Sports Division figure skating team. On the 14th local time, Seoul City held a ceremony for Cha Jun-hwan to join the team in the video conference room on the 6th floor of Seoul City Hall. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the joining ceremony, dressed Cha Jun-hwan in a team uniform, welcomed him to join, and cheered for a new beginning.
Cha Joon-hwan performs in the men's short program at the 2025 ISU (International Skating Union) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul on February 20, 2025.
Cha Jun-hwan is the protagonist of writing a new history of Korean men's figure skating, and has achieved excellent results in many domestic and foreign competitions, raising the status of Korean figure skating. He has won the 5th place at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the gold medal at the 2022 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, the silver medal in the men's singles at the 2023 ISU World Championships, and the men's singles gold medal at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has established a new figure skating team for the first time in order to strengthen projects that are not popular and projects that are not sponsored enough by private companies, and to expand the mass base of winter sports in preparation for the 2026 Winter Olympics. With this establishment, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will operate 26 teams (20 in summer and 6 in winter) consisting of 189 people.
Cha Jun-hwan's joining the Seoul Metropolitan Workplace Sports Department is the first time that a figure skater has entered an amateur team. The city government expects that the establishment of the figure skating team and the introduction of Cha Joon-hwan will lead to the growth of figure skating and play a leading role in the development of winter sports in Korea. In addition, the city government plans to support Cha Jun-hwan to continue to make a new leap based on the activities of the industrial team.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government Office won two gold medals (short track speed skating mixed relay, men's 1,500m) and three silver medals (short track speed skating men's 1,000m, 500m, alpine skiing women's slalom) at the Harbin Asian Winter Games held in February this year, making a significant contribution to Korea's second place in the medal table.
"It is a great honor to join the Seoul City Hall Figure Skating Team as the first athlete, and to have established an amateur team for the first time in Korea, so I will participate in training and competitions with a greater sense of responsibility," Cha said. ”
Mayor Oh said, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government will spare no effort to support Cha Jun-hwan in all of his training, competitions and Olympic journeys. The city of Seoul will be a solid supporter for all athletes in the professional athletics club to concentrate on training in a stable environment and to demonstrate their unique abilities on the international stage. ”