Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom Faces Olympic Removal, Threatening Korea's Medal Legacy

Korea's snowboard parallel giant slalom legacy—which began with Lee Sang-ho, known as "Cabbage Boy," and continued through Kim Sang-kyeom's inspiring "fourth-time's-the-charm" silver medal—faces an uncertain future as the sport risks exclusion from the 2030 Alps Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee has placed the parallel giant slalom under review, with sources in the skiing community confirming on February 10 that it ranks among the events most likely to be cut.

During the approval process for the 2030 Alps Games, the IOC greenlighted biathlon and bobsled but withheld approval for snowboard parallel giant slalom.

"With athletes running strong campaigns, I believe we can prevent the event's removal," said Kim Sang-kyeom, who won silver at the Milan Cortina 2026 Games. "This is about our sport's future and the dreams of young athletes. We will do everything we can to protect it."

The alpine snowboard discipline debuted at the 1998 Nagano Olympics with a time-trial giant slalom format. The parallel competition was introduced at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Both parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom were contested at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but only the parallel giant slalom has been held since.

The IOC evaluates sports based on cost, universality, and gender equality. Its primary concern with parallel giant slalom is the aging athlete demographic.

The committee has actively introduced new sports to attract younger audiences, with snowboard freestyle events such as big air, halfpipe, and slopestyle leading the way. However, parallel giant slalom competitors skew older than those in other disciplines—a trend the IOC interprets as stagnant youth participation.

Athletes have mobilized against the potential removal. Ahead of this Olympics, competitors launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #keepPGSolympic.