MOU Signed between Philippine National Bobsled Luge and Skeleton Association, Inc., and Korea
SEOUL 09 December 2024 - A Memorandum of Understanding and Declaration of Friendship was recently signed between the Philippine National Bobsled Luge and Skeleton Association, (PNBSLA) Inc., the Korea Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation (KBSF), the 2018 Pyeongchang & 2024 Gangwon Legacy Foundation (PGLF) and Pyeongchang County at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. Signatories to the MOU are President Thelmo O. Cunanan, Jr. of the PNBSLA, President Chanmin Chyun of KBSF, Secretary General Seoungku Kang of PGLF and Deputy Mayor Seonghyun Hwang of Pyeongchang County.
Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon – De Vega witnessed the historic signing of the MOU between the Philippines and the Korean winter sports federations at the Sentro Rizal Conference Room of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul. The MOU binds the contracting parties to work together to further the aims of each party in the spirit of friendship and the development of the sports of bobsled and skeleton.
The PNBLSA was founded and incorporated in 2017 by its President and CEO Thelmo O. Cunanan, Jr. it is the first sledding organization in ASEAN and the first ASEAN member of the International Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation (IBSF) based in Switzerland, which is also the Olympic governing body of both sports.
With the agreement, the Philippine National Bobsled contingent composed of seven (7) members from the Philippine Coast Guard arrived in Pyeongchang this November 2024 and have begun training under the tutelage of the Korea Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation (KBSF) and with the support of the Pyeongchang 2018 Legacy Foundation. The athletes are currently honing their skills and building up their physical conditioning in preparation for competition in the Korea Cup scheduled in February 2025.
Pyeongchang County is located in Gangwon province which is approximately 125 kilometers from Seoul. It is the winter sports capital of Korea and hosted the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2018 and is also the site of the Olympic Sliding Center for the sports of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. The Pyeongchang 2018 Legacy Foundation extends support programs for national winter sports federations for countries in tropical zones to train in Korea.
The MOU signing comes at a time when the Philippines and Korea are celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations. END
For more information, visit https://www.seoulpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philembassy-seoul.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinKorea/.