On 12/2, 17-year-old athlete Choi Ga-on made history for South Korean sports, winning the nation's first olympic snowboard gold medal at the Winter Olympics 2026 in Italy. Choi defeated American athlete Chloe Kim in the halfpipe event, despite Kim having won two consecutive championships at previous Olympic games.

Athletes Kim Sang-kyum and Yu Seung-eun also secured a silver medal in alpine skiing and a bronze medal in aerials for South Korea, respectively.

These achievements have drawn attention to Venerable Hosan, the abbot of Bongseon Temple in Namyangju city, Gyeonggi province, because all three athletes competed in the Dharma Snowboard Competition, a youth snowboard event he founded over 20 years ago.

"Venerable Hosan is happy. He prayed for the athletes", Lee Kyung-min, deputy manager of Bongseon Temple, said. "At the same time, he is concerned that only medalists receive attention, while other athletes also competed".

Venerable Hosan declined media requests, citing Buddhist duties.

Venerable Hosan poses with his snowboard at Bongseon Temple, Namyangju city, Gyeonggi province on 12/2. Photo: Yonhap

Venerable Hosan, in his 60s, first encountered snowboarding in 1995 when a ski resort invited him to pray for peace. There, he spoke with young athletes who expressed their love for snowboarding due to the sense of freedom it offered.

Unlike skiing, snowboarders can move in any direction, both on the snow and in mid-air. Venerable Hosan believes this reflects the Buddhist ideal of true freedom.

Recognizing that many young athletes struggled with training costs, some even working part-time jobs, Venerable Hosan launched the Dharma Snowboard Competition in 2003. Prize money came from his personal savings and donations from fellow Buddhists.

Choi Ga-on competes in the halfpipe event at the Winter Olympics 2026 in Livigno, Italy on 12/2. Photo: AP

Snowboarding was not popular in South Korea, but Venerable Hosan persisted in maintaining the competition. The event gradually became an important launchpad for young talents pursuing the sport.

Lee Sang-ho, who won South Korea's first olympic snowboard medal at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, also participated in the Dharma Snowboard Competition.

"For the Buddhist community, seeing those we knew as children become national team members and even Olympic medalists is touching", Lee Kyung-min said. "It is meaningful that our faith has accompanied these children pursuing dreams that are often difficult to realize in Korean society".

According to Lee Kyung-min, athletes Kim and Yu often spend time at the temple with the Venerable when not training, practicing Buddhist rituals like meditation and the 108 prostrations.

"There is a Buddhist saying that a lotus blooms from mud", Lee Kyung-min said. "In a sport once considered unpopular, a lotus has truly bloomed".

By Nhu Tam (According to AFP, Korea Times)