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- ▲ A commemorative photo from the Winguard snowboarding mentoring class conducted by the Nexen Winguard snowboarding team. ⓒNexen Tire
Nexen Tire announced on the 17th that it will lay the foundation for the continued growth of the domestic winter sports ecosystem by expanding the base of alpine snowboarding and nurturing next-generation athletes through sponsorship of the ‘Nexen Winguard Snowboard Team’.
On the 15th, the Nexen Winguard Snowboarding Team held a ‘Wingard Snowboarding Mentoring Class’ for youth athletes at the SK Handball Stadium in Olympic Park, Seoul.
A total of 30 people participated in this event, including 5 Nexen Wingard players and 20 youth players selected from across the country. Wingard players shared their game know-how and training experience, providing practical advice and guidance for long-term growth to juniors dreaming of becoming professional snowboarders.
In addition to mentoring classes, Nexen Tire operates free experience programs every winter, such as the ‘Wingard Snowboard Academy’ for youth athletes and the ‘Wingard Happiness Sharing Snowboard Camp’ for the underprivileged, expanding opportunities to experience winter sports.
Alpine snowboarding is considered to be the sport with the highest barrier to entry among snowboarding. It requires competition in turns, timing, and lines at high speeds using hard boots and dedicated boards. In particular, the key is to use high technical difficulty such as precise turns and edge control during high-speed downhill skiing, so it is classified as an unpopular sport due to the small number of domestic players. Accordingly, Nexen Tire is supporting the training of alpine snowboarders by forming a professional team starting in 2022.
Based on this support, the Nexen Wingard Snowboard Team is comprised of talented domestic alpine snowboarders. Lee Sang-ho was a silver medalist in the parallel giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and ranked first in the parallel slalom at the 2023/24 World Cup in Germany, while Hong Seung-young and Kwon Yong-hwi also ranked high in the Asian Cup.
In particular, as a result of the team’s growth and support, achievements are continuing on the international stage, such as Lee Sang-ho’s participation in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
A Nexen Tire official said, “Alpine snowboarding and tires are similar in that they both compete for speed and technology. As there are many outstanding athletes in Korea, Nexen Tire will grow with them through consistent sponsorship and contribute to the development of Korean winter sports.”
