Culture ministry launches disability sports talent scouting team

The culture ministry said Wednesday it will launch a 50-member scouting team to find and develop young athletes with disabilities, adopting a more proactive recruitment model that links sports organizations with schools.

The initiative is part of efforts to strengthen international competitiveness in disability sports and expand its pool of athletes. An inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Aug. 19 at the Icheon Athletes' Village.

The program replaces a system that waited for prospective athletes to come forward, drawing on sports and education networks to find students early and support their progress from entry-level prospects to national-team athletes.

The team comprises 19 members appointed by Daehan Jangaein Cheyukhoe and 31 organized by Hanguk Gyowon Daehakgyo. Daehan Jangaein Cheyukhoe will oversee operations, review information on referred students with disabilities and select candidates for field assessments by its specialists. It will connect students with suitable sports and select those eligible for young-athlete support through its athlete development committee.

Hanguk Gyowon Daehakgyo will use school networks to identify students with sporting potential and provide those interested in sports careers with information on further education. The university is preparing to open a special middle and high school for sports in 2028. The two institutions will jointly use scouting data and databases and link their identification programs, including summer and winter camps.

"For disability sports to maintain international competitiveness, finding the next generation of athletes early and developing them systematically is as important as supporting current national-team athletes," Kang Dae-geum, the culture ministry's sports cooperation official, said.