Chairman Lee Jaeyong Advances Sports Diplomacy and Strengthens Global Network at Winter Olympics

Status as Korea's Only Top-Tier IOC Sponsor

At the site of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which opened on the 6th (local time), Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong engaged with heads of state and global business leaders, working to strengthen sports diplomacy and his global network.

Earlier, on the 5th, Chairman Lee attended a gala dinner hosted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to mark the opening of the Games, representing Samsung Electronics, the only IOC top-tier sponsor among Korean companies.

At a gala dinner held on the 5th (local time), one day before the opening of the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics in Italy, Lee Jaeyong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics (back row, 4th from the right), posed for a commemorative photo with world leaders and businesspeople attending, including Coventry Kirsty, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (front row, 6th from the right), Mattarella Sergio, President of Italy (front row, 7th from the right), and Vance Jd, Vice President of the United States (front row, 5th from the right). Photo by the Italian Presidential Office

Attendees at the event included IOC President Kirsty Coventry, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, and Hungarian President Tam?s Sulyok.

Global business leaders in attendance included Li Dongsheng, Chairman of TCL; Oliver B?te, Chairman of Allianz; Raynald Aeschlimann, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Omega; Michel Doukeris, Chairman of Anheuser-Busch InBev; Gao Fei, Chairman of Mengniu; Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb; Shailesh Jejurikar, CEO of Procter & Gamble; Joseph Ucuzoglu, CEO of Deloitte; and James Quincey, Chairman of Coca-Cola.

A business community official said, "The IOC gala dinner is more than just a social gathering; it is a behind-the-scenes diplomatic arena where global affairs and key business issues are discussed," adding, "Chairman Lee Jaeyong's attendance will significantly bolster not only Samsung Electronics' global standing but also Korea's capabilities in sports diplomacy."

Samsung has been sponsoring the Olympics since the late Chairman Lee Kunhee and plans to continue its sponsorship through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the United States. Chairman Lee Jaeyong met with IOC President Thomas Bach in 2018 and extended the Olympic sponsorship agreement, which had been set to expire in 2020, through 2028.

The IOC selects one TOP partner in each category and grants it exclusive marketing rights. In Korea, Samsung Electronics is the only company included in the IOC TOP program.

According to a survey by Interbrand, Samsung Electronics' brand value first entered the global top 100 in 2000 at approximately 5.2 billion dollars (43rd place) and has steadily risen, surpassing 90.5 billion dollars (about 129 trillion won) in 2025 and maintaining its position in the global top five for six consecutive years.

An industry official assessed, "Samsung's Olympic sponsorship goes beyond simple logo exposure and stands as one of the most successful sports marketing cases, combining the spirit of challenge in sports with Samsung's image of innovation."