For the seventh year in a row, the CJ Group is providing K-food to Korean national players, leading the introduction of Korean culture to the participants at the sports gala
The CJ Group is ready to provide delicious Korean food to support Team Korea at the 2024 Paris Olympics, aiming to boost the athletes’ chances of winning medals. Throughout the Games, CJ will showcase the richness of Korean culture, especially its cuisine, at the Korea House, turning it into a hub of Korean tradition and flavor.
The company has been a key supporter of Team Korea through its partnership with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KOC) for the last seven years. Since becoming an official sponsor in the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) category in 2017, the group’s food manufacturing division, CJ CheilJedang, has provided meals to the athletes from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. This support continued to the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, where the company supplied a variety of food products to the national team.
Starting in 2023, CJ Group has become a top partner of the KOC. Last year, CJ held a “bibigo Gourmet Day” at the Jincheon National Training Center, providing meals to athletes while they trained on site. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, CJ set up a booth offering cooked rice, stews, side dishes, and snacks, which showcased a variety of CJ products. Thanks to this partnership, CJ has been able to provide athletes with Korean food, even when they were competing far away from home.
CJ will continue to provide a diverse range of food products to Team Korea for the Paris Olympics. In June, CJ CheilJedang provided the swimming team with bibigo packages featuring a range of CJ products, including galbitang, gyoza and mandu products, and rice tteokbokki, during a Media Day event at the Jincheon National Training Center. CJ will ensure that athletes will be able to enjoy Korean food whenever they visit the Korea House lounge during the sports gala.
Located in the heart of the French capital, the Korea House will serve as more than just a nutrition support center for the national athletes. During the Olympic Games, it will act as a cultural and promotional hub for South Korea, showcasing Korean culture and cuisine to visitors from around the world. CJ, the main sponsor of Korea House, has collaborated on developing its key visual elements. Additionally, CJ will be involved in various joint marketing efforts, including on-site promotions and global digital campaigns. The Korea House will feature dedicated spaces for CJ Group and bibigo, such as the CJ Group Hall and the bibigo Zone, cementing the idea of CJ being the best K-culture icon.
At the CJ Group Hall, visitors will experience popular CJ products and content through different channels – including still images, videos, poster walls, and photo booths. This presentation highlights how CJ’s diverse K-culture, including food, beauty, drama, movies, and music, has become a natural part of everyday lives around the globe. The bibigo Zone, featuring the bibigo Market inspired by traditional Korean markets, or “Sijang,” will focus on showcasing K-Street Food, which is currently gaining popularity throughout Europe. This space will allow visitors to taste and experience the flavors and values of Korean cuisine firsthand.
The opening ceremony of the Korea House on the 25th will feature a special menu prepared by CJ CheilJedang’s project dubbed Cuisine.K. Launched in May 2023, Cuisine.K is an initiative by CJ CheilJedang to discover and nurture promising Korean chefs. Young Korean chefs will showcase the flavors and elegance of Korean cuisine to distinguished guests from around the world who are attending the opening ceremony of the Olympics’ Korea House.
CJ has been committed to broadening its support beyond professional sports to also encompass amateur. Since 2010, the company has been a steady sponsor of winter sports such as mogul skiing, bobsleigh, and snowboarding. Currently, CJ supports a total of 34 athletes across seven sports categories, including swimming, breakdancing, tennis, as well as shot put.
In addition to supporting individual athletes, CJ is fueling the development of the Games itself by sponsoring Korean sports organizations. This approach represents a new paradigm in sports sponsorship. Last year, CJ CheilJedang established official partnerships with the Korea Swimming Federation in June and the Korea Ice Skating Union in November. Through these partnerships, CJ CheilJedang provides a range of products to support the athletes’ training camps and participation in various competitions.
For the upcoming Paris Olympics, three athletes; namely Hwang Sun-woo (swimming), An Byeong-hun (golf), and Kim Hong-yeol (breakingdancing), will represent South Korea as part of TEAM CJ, sponsored by the company. They are set to compete for gold medals and showcase their talents on the global stage.
