- ENHYPEN's Sunghoon has been chosen as an official torchbearer for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
- Sunghoon used to be a reserve member of the South Korean national figure skating team.
- The decision highlights ENHYPEN's global expansion and the KSOC's efforts to increase interest in sports.
ENHYPEN's Sunghoon has been chosen as an official torchbearer for the 2026 Winter Olympics torch relay, his agency Belift Lab announced Saturday. The announcement elevates the 23-year-old singer to a prominent position ahead of the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Games' opening ceremony on Feb 6, 2026, and will end on Feb 22nd. Approximately 3,500 athletes representing 93 countries and 16 sports will be participating.
Sunghoon's selection follows a recommendation from Samsung Electronics Co., one of the Olympics' official sponsors, and coincides with his current role as a representative for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC). Before making his K-pop debut, Sunghoon was a reserve member of South Korea's national figure skating team, giving him a unique athletic background among global idols.
As noted by Korean media, Sunghoon, in an official statement, talked about the opportunity. He was quoted as saying, "I know the passion and effort of the national athletes who worked hard for these Winter Olympics…so I just want to support them." He further added, "It was my personal dream to compete in the Olympics when I was an athlete. I am happy and honored to achieve that dream as a singer."
ENHYPEN’s Global Rise and Sunghoon’s Sporting Roots
ENHYPEN, established through the survival series I-Land, debuted on Nov 30, 2020. The group consists of seven global members who have solidified themselves as one of K-pop's leading fourth-generation acts. Their seventh EP, The Sin: Vanish, released on Jan 16, 2026, sold over 2 million copies in its first week, becoming the group's fourth "double million-seller" and showcasing their continued economic strength.
Sunghoon's Olympic performance is noteworthy in K-pop history. He is one of the few Korean artists to take part in a foreign Olympic torch relay, after BTS' Jin, who carried the flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The KSOC has recently used celebrity ambassadors to increase public interest in winter sports, which is a strategic focus as South Korea prepares to bid for future Olympic hosting prospects following PyeongChang 2018.
The K-pop singer’s participation combines sports and culture at a time when Korean pop culture and sports excellence are increasingly intersecting on a worldwide scale. This is a complete circle moment for an idol whose childhood dream was to skate at the Olympics and whose current platform now enhances the experience.
