Olympic champion Jang Mi-ran donates medals ahead of sports museum opening
Jang Mi-ran, an Olympic weightlifting champion and second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, poses after donating a gold medal she won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the National Sports Museum, which is currently under construction in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Jang Mi-ran, Korea’s Olympic weightlifting legend and current vice minister for culture, sports and tourism, has become the inaugural donor in a sports star donation relay campaign, a program launched ahead of the much-anticipated opening of the National Sports Museum in Seoul’s Olympic Park in late 2026.
The sports ministry and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation said Friday that they initiated the campaign to encourage Korea’s most celebrated athletes to contribute personal memorabilia, preserving the nation’s rich sporting legacy for future generations.
Jang, the first Korean female athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in weightlifting, donated 88 personal items from her career. Among them are her full set of Olympic medals — a silver medal she won at the 2004 Athens Olympics, a gold medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics — as well as Asian Games medals, competition uniforms, weightlifting belts and shoes she wore while setting a world record in Beijing.
“I am honored to be the first donor in this donation relay. While these items are personally meaningful, sharing them with the public and passing on their value to the next generation is even more important,” the vice minister said.
“I hope this campaign will not only raise awareness of the National Sports Museum’s opening but also establish the museum as a central place for celebrating the history and inspiration of Korean sports.”
Jang Mi-ran, an Olympic weightlifting champion and second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, delivers remarks during an event marking 100 days to the 2024 Paris Olympics at Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, April 17, 2024. On Friday, the vice minister donated her medals, weightlifting uniforms and other items to the National Sports Museum, scheduled to open next year. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The National Sports Museum, the first of its kind in Korea, is set to become a landmark institution, offering immersive experiences and preserving the passion and achievements that have defined the nation’s sporting spirit.
The new facility is being constructed as a three-story building within Olympic Park in Songpa District, Seoul, integrating the existing Seoul Olympic Museum. Scheduled to open in the second half of next year, the museum held its groundbreaking ceremony in November 2023. It will feature five exhibition halls, three storage facilities, a specialized sports library and educational experience rooms.
In donating her items, Jang also reflected on her career, highlighting the 2008 Summer Games as her most unforgettable moment. She said she trained a lot with the goal of achieving a world record and a gold medal. As she had aimed, she was able to set a world record of 326 kilograms in the combined total lift to win gold.
The ministry said the relay is expected to continue until the museum’s opening, with other Olympic medalists and iconic figures in Korean sports history anticipated to join. The initiative aims to foster public engagement with the country’s sporting heritage and to inspire new generations by sharing the stories and achievements of Korea’s greatest athletes.
To further promote the museum and the donation campaign, the ministry will release a series of video features on its official YouTube channel, including behind-the-scenes stories about Jang’s memorabilia and guides to attractions around the museum site.