SK Sugar Gliders Awarded in 'Sports Value' Category by Korean Sport & Olympic Committee

Activities for Promoting Handball and Supporting People with Disabilities

SK Enmove women's handball team SK Sugar Gliders received the Korea Sports Council Sports Award for their contribution to popularizing handball and developing the local community.

SK Sugar Gliders announced on the 26th that they won the grand prize in the 'Sports Value' category of the Korea Sports Council Sports Awards. Park Jong-hyuk, head of SK Sugar Gliders, received the plaque from Kang Shin-sung, vice president of the Korea Sports Council, at the award ceremony held at Olympic Parktel in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul the day before. SK Sugar Gliders stated that since their founding in 2012, they have actively carried out social contribution activities such as expanding the base of handball and supporting people with disabilities.

At the Korea Sports Council Sports Awards ceremony held on the previous day (25th) at Olympic Parktel in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Park Jong-hyuk, head of SK Sugar Gliders (right), and Kang Shin-sung, vice chairman of the Korea Sports Council, are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by SK Innovation

Since 2013, SK Sugar Gliders has operated the 'Happy Growth Handball Class,' where handball coaches and players directly teach and mentor elite handball players from elementary, middle, and high schools in the metropolitan area on individual skills and team tactics every year. They also ran the 'Junior Sugles' program, which provides handball lessons to youth sports clubs.

In 2022, in cooperation with the Gwangmyeong City Parents' Association for Disabled Athletes, they established the developmental disability supporters group 'Sugather,' creating a handball cheering culture together with people with developmental disabilities. In 2023, they held a camp enjoying camping and leisure activities with people with developmental disabilities, receiving great responses. In 2024, they conducted handball classes for children with developmental disabilities at two special schools located in Seoul.

Since 2021, together with the Gwangmyeong City Social Welfare Council, they have raised Hope Donations used for scholarships for local student-athletes and support for vulnerable groups. The Hope Donations are formed by combining the handball league prize money received by SK Sugar Gliders players with sponsorship funds provided by SK Enmove, which operates the team, through a matching grant system.

Head Park Jong-hyuk said, "SK Sugar Gliders will continue to strive to expand the base of handball and create social value by preparing and implementing various programs so that we can coexist with the local community."