Italian Airport Buzzes as Cha Jun-hwan Arrives in Milan for Olympics

Cha Jun-hwan, South Korea's top male figure skater representing Seoul City Hall, has arrived in Milan, Italy, the host city for his upcoming Olympic competition.

Cha landed at Milan Malpensa Airport on Tuesday (local time) along with fellow members of the Korean figure skating team, marking his arrival for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Greeted by enthusiastic cheers from Italian fans as he entered the arrivals hall, Cha said, "I'm grateful that so many fans welcomed and cheered for me. With their support, I will show my best performance."

Malpensa Airport was crowded with dozens of K-pop fans that day. Sunghoon, a former figure skater and member of K-pop group ENHYPEN, accompanied the figure skating team as a promotional ambassador for the Korean delegation at the Milan Olympics. As Sunghoon emerged into the arrivals area, local K-pop fans surrounded him, filming with their phones and requesting autographs.

Cha also received autograph requests, with some fans offering gifts and flowers. After graciously accommodating the fans' requests, Cha said, "It's starting to feel real that I'm competing in the Olympics. I had about a week after finishing the ISU Four Continents Championships, and I've completed all preparations while recovering my physical condition." He added, "To deliver a good performance, I need to adapt well to the local environment. I started managing my condition by sleeping well on the flight. I will focus on achieving peak physical form by competition day."

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics marks Cha's third Olympic appearance. He finished 15th overall at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics while still a student at Whimoon High School, then placed 5th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. "At this Olympics, I'm competing in both the team event and the individual event, and I want to show a great performance starting with the team event," he said. Figure skating events featuring Cha begin on February 8.