ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon is set to take part in Olympic history as a torchbearer for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. His selection aligns with his background as a former national-level figure skater and his current role as a sports ambassador.
On January 23, BELIFT LAB confirmed that the 23-year-old K-pop star will participate in the Olympic torch relay for the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
The Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics will open on February 6 and run through February 22, 2026. Events will take place across Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. Athletes from 93 countries will compete in 16 sports, with around 3,500 participants in total.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, the Olympic torch relay will travel in Italy to symbolize peace, unity, and the Olympic spirit. Details about Sunghoon’s exact relay location and date have not yet been released.
His role as a torchbearer is quite meaningful given his background. Before debuting with ENHYPEN in 2020, he was a national reserve team member in figure skating for South Korea. Fans believe that his control and elegance on stage are due to his skating career. Since May last year, he has also been serving as a public relations ambassador for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
On January 22, he attended the national team’s send-off ceremony, where he showed support for Korean athletes heading into major international competitions.
With this honor, Sunghoon follows in the footsteps of fellow HYBE artist Jin of BTS, who previously served as a torchbearer for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
The news arrives while ENHYPEN is enjoying major success with their latest comeback. The group released their seventh mini-album, “THE SIN : VANISH,” on January 16. In its first week, the album sold over 2.07 million copies, becoming ENHYPEN’s fourth consecutive double-million seller.
The group has since moved into follow-up promotions. ENHYPEN began performing “Big Girls Don’t Cry” on major domestic music shows. Their schedule remains busy, although no world tour dates for 2026 have been officially announced yet.