Figure skater, speed skater named co-flag bearers for Korea at Winter Olympics

Cha Jun-hwan of Korea celebrates after winning silver in the men's singles at the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, Sunday (local time). EPA-Yonhap

Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan and speed skater Park Ji-woo were named co-flag bearers for Korea at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy on Monday.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said the two three-time Olympians will carry the national flag at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Feb. 6.

Cha, 24, will be competing in his third consecutive Winter Games. He placed 15th on home ice at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and then ranked fifth four years later in Beijing, the best performance by a Korean male figure skater. Cha finished in second place at his final Olympic tuneup competition, the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, in Beijing on Sunday.

Speed skater Park Ji-woo checks her record after passing the finish line in the 500 meter final for the 52nd National Men’s and Women’s Sprint Championships and the 80th National All-Around Speed Skating Championships held at the Taereung International Skating Rink in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Park, 27, also made her Olympic debut in 2018 and fell short of reaching the final in the women's mass start. At the Beijing Games in 2022, Park once again skated in the semifinals of the mass start and finished 30th in the 1,000 meters. This year, Park is scheduled to compete in the 1,500m and mass start.

The KSOC also said Korea will send 71 athletes to Italy, six more than the delegation for the 2022 competition.

By sport, snowboard will have the largest representation with 11 athletes, followed by 10 each for short track speed skating and bobsleigh.