SK Telecom (SKT) announced on September 28 that it provided artificial intelligence (AI) performance analysis technology to the South Korean fencing team, which won medals in every event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
According to SKT, the South Korean fencing team secured medals in all categories of men's and women's sabre, épée, and foil. On the final day of the fencing competition, September 27, the team added medals in the men's épée and women's sabre team events, finishing the tournament with a total of 10 medals.
Notably, the men's sabre team achieved a remarkable feat by defeating the host nation Japan 45-44 in the team final on September 26, marking their fourth consecutive Asian Games victory since the 2014 Incheon Games. The final athlete, Oh Sang-wook, turned the tide from a 41-44 deficit to secure the win, earning him a second gold medal in the tournament.
For this competition, SKT introduced its self-developed fencing AI performance analysis system, SKT-FAN (Fencing AI Nexus). This system utilizes AI computer vision and motion capture technology to automatically identify scoring moments in match footage and generate timelines and highlights.
Additionally, the 'non-sensor AI motion capture' technology was employed, which tracks athletes' joint movements and converts them into data using only standard match footage, without the need for wearable sensors. This allowed coaching staff and athletes to analyze individual movements and match data for training and strategic planning.
SKT developed SKT-FAN with the goal of reducing the video analysis workload typically performed by performance analysts by up to 90%. During the tournament, the company also dispatched medical trainers and performance analysts to support the athletes' condition management and match analysis.
Since 2003, SKT has served as the main sponsor of the Korean Fencing Association, providing support for training equipment, participation in international competitions, and creating simulated environments for Olympic preparation. The total sponsorship amount has reached 36 billion won.
SKT continues to support athletes in other sports as well. Swimmer Hwang Sun-woo, weightlifter Park Hye-jung, track and field athlete Namadi Joel-jin, modern pentathlete Shin Soo-min, sport climber Noh Hyun-seung, and basketball player Eddie Daniel are all part of 'Team SKT' and receive support.
Kwon Yang-sang, head of SKT's Communications Support Division, stated, "The moment the team achieved a fourth consecutive victory in men's sabre, supported by the cheers of the nation, is unforgettable for SKT. With the confirmation that our AI technology has contributed to improving performance, we will continue to enhance it to support the field in the future."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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