Beyond sponsorship, companies provide technology to sports

Behind Korea’s medal-winning athletes are companies that have been in the sports realm for decades, turning sponsorship into technology, training and long-term support.

The approach reflects a major shift in how conglomerates are shaping their support for athletics: Sponsorship is increasingly being used to build a long-term relationship with a sport, rather than simply gaining exposure around major competitions.

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Korean fencing once again showed the value of that commitment. The national team won 10 medals across men’s and women’s sabre, epee and foil, including four golds.

SK Telecom has been backing Korean fencing for 24 years, but its role has evolved far beyond financial support.

As the Korean Fencing Federation’s lead sponsor since 2003, the telecom operator has invested 36 billion won ($26.5 million) in the sport, supporting training equipment, overseas competitions and international events. This year, it added artificial intelligence (AI) to that partnership.

The Fencing AI Nexus system, developed by the company, uses computer vision and sensorless motion capture to analyze match footage, automatically identifying scoring and conceding moments and tracking athletes’ movements.

The company said the system can reduce repetitive video-analysis work by up to 90 percent, allowing coaches and athletes to focus more on tactics and training.

SK Telecom also dispatched additional performance analysts and medical trainers to support the team during the Asian Games.

“The AI motion capture system tracks and converts athletes’ joint movements into data from ordinary match videos, allowing coaches to analyze individual performance without requiring wearable sensors," an official from SK Telecom said.

Few examples illustrate this better than Hyundai Motor Group’s relationship with archery.

The carmaker has supported the Korea Archery Association since 1985, when the group’s honorary Chairman Chung Mong-koo began leading the organization. The firm’s current Executive Chairman Chung Euisun has continued his family’s legacy by succeeding his father as the head of the archery association.

Hyundai has brought its engineering capabilities into the sport, developing AI-based motion analysis, personalized 3D-printed grips, shooting robots and equipment-testing systems. The technology is designed to help athletes refine even the smallest details of their technique.

“The key to Hyundai Motor Group’s support for archery is the integration of technology," an official from the carmaker said.

"Rather than limiting its role to financial backing, the group actively applies its R&D capabilities to training and competition environments. From high-precision shooting robots for realistic training to radiation-cooling hats that reflect direct sunlight and help prevent increases in body temperature, the technologies show how Hyundai Motor Group’s capabilities are being applied on the field," the official added.

The Korea Shooting Federation has also signed an official sponsorship agreement with Watson & Company, a digital brain science company, to introduce an AI-powered neuroscience training system.

Under the agreement, Watson & Company has provided the national shooting team with its neuroscience-based training system, FOCUS, during the Asian Games.

The firm's brainwave measurement and analysis services are used to assess athletes’ concentration levels, brain fatigue and psychological states. The firm also offers personalized competition preparation guides and sleep music.

Given the sport’s emphasis on intense concentration and psychological stability, the system helps athletes manage their condition, including adjusting to time differences and relieving stress amid frequent international competitions.

The sports sponsorship is not limited to tech-driven firms.

Shinhan Financial Group began sponsoring Korea’s national handball teams in 2023 and later expanded its involvement into domestic competition.

Rather than limiting its support to a certain sport, the group is expanding its sponsorship to skiing and snowboarding, hockey, judo, sport climbing, triathlon and cycling.

KB Financial Group adopts a sports marketing strategy of identifying promising athletes and sports early and supporting them over the long term, rather than sponsoring them only after they become stars.

The strategy is bearing fruit on the international stage, as the Asian Games feature numerous athletes backed by KB Financial, including members of the national teams for swimming, artistic gymnastics, track and field, and women’s golf.

“Stable corporate backing can fund equipment, overseas competitions and training programs across multiple Olympic and Asian Games cycles,” an industry official said.