Lee Jae-yong Generously Spent 17,000 Galaxy Z Flip Units... 'Podium Selfie' Also Draws Attention [Paris Olympics]

Samsung Electronics Signs Official Partnership with IOC
Distributes 17,000 Free Devices to Athletes
Fans Excited for 'Victory Selfie' Operation Increasing

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is scheduled to visit the Paris Olympics venue for the first time in 12 years since the 2012 London Olympics. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics, an official sponsor of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is drawing attention by distributing the 'Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition' free of charge to approximately 17,000 Olympic athletes worldwide.

According to business circles on the 24th, Chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to visit the Paris Olympics site to cheer on the athletes and also to tour the marketing venues for Samsung Electronics' new products, the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6. This will be Lee’s first visit to the Paris Olympics venue in 12 years since he appeared at the 2012 London Olympics alongside the late Chairman Lee Kun-hee, former Leeum Museum director Hong Ra-hee, and Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin, among other family members. Samsung Electronics, which held the Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris on the 10th, is operating Samsung Olympic Experience Centers at four locations, including the Champs-?lys?es and the Olympic Village.

Samsung Electronics also distributed the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition to about 17,000 athletes participating in the Olympics and Paralympics. This is the first Olympic edition equipped with Galaxy artificial intelligence (AI), serving as a convenient medium for athletes from various countries to communicate without language barriers.

Additionally, Samsung Electronics announced that it will operate the 'Victory Selfie' program in cooperation with the IOC, allowing athletes to take selfies on the podium. Until now, personal belongings including mobile phones were prohibited at Olympic award ceremonies in principle, but through cooperation between Samsung and the IOC, athletes will be able to take 'podium selfies' themselves. Because of this, fans cheering for the athletes cannot hide their excitement, saying, "I really want to see the 'podium selfie' by making it into the medal ranks."

German athletes are receiving the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition and taking selfies at the Samsung Olympic Experience Center installed inside the 2024 Paris Olympic Village.
[Photo by Samsung Electronics]

Through contracts, the IOC selects one top-tier official sponsor company, called a 'TOP (The Olympic Partner)' partner, per category and grants exclusive marketing rights. Samsung Electronics is the only Korean company selected as an IOC TOP partner and has been sponsoring the Olympics for over 30 years since signing the TOP contract with the IOC in 1997. Samsung Electronics has also signed a sponsorship contract through the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.

Jung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, awards the gold medal to archer Jang Hye-jin, who won the women's team event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil.
[Photo by Hyundai Motor Group]

Lee Jae-yong is not the only political and business figure visiting the Paris Olympics venue. Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group and president of the Korea Archery Association, known as the 'godfather' of Korean archery, is also scheduled to visit Paris in time for the Olympic opening ceremony. Chairman Chung is expected to oversee the site and support the athletes during this visit as well.

Since 2005, Chairman Chung has led the Korea Archery Association and has visited the venues to encourage athletes at every Summer Olympics, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Hyundai Motor Group, under Chairman Chung, has supported the introduction of cutting-edge training techniques such as AI and augmented reality (AR) to maintain Korea’s world-class archery status, and plans to establish training and rest facilities for athlete condition management. Earlier this year, in his New Year's address, Chairman Chung stated, "This year is an important year to solidify the core values of Korean archery," adding, "The Paris Olympics, as the most important target competition, await us."

In addition to Chairman Lee and Chairman Chung, Choi Si-won, former SK Networks Chairman and current president of the Korea Fencing Federation, is also likely to visit Paris. However, Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group and cousin of Chairman Choi, is not expected to go to Paris this year. Chairman Choi currently serves as president of the Korea Handball Federation and hosted a dinner for the women’s handball national team at the Walkerhill Hotel in May. Women’s handball is the only team ball sport representing Korea at the Paris Olympics.