PyeongChang memories greet visitors in Milan Metro

During reporting trips related to the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, journalists most frequently pass through the Main Press Center, known as the MPC. The facility is served by Milan’s subway stations Amendola on Line 1 and Portello on Line 5. At Portello station, one feature immediately stood out: a large illustrated wall installed beside the route map. The artwork portrayed short track speed skaters carving through tight corners during competition at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

A closer look revealed that the illustration depicted the men’s 1,000 meters semifinal from the PyeongChang Games. Above the platform screen doors appeared the words “The Republic of Korea” alongside the number “53.” Nearby, the number “11” was displayed next to the name of Italy’s short track star Arianna Fontana. The installation emphasized South Korea’s status as the most decorated nation in Olympic short track speed skating, while highlighting Fontana as the sport’s most decorated individual athlete.

Additional graphics surrounding the platform screen doors traced the history of Olympic short track speed skating. Medal tables by event were filled with familiar Korean names, underscoring the country’s long-standing dominance in the discipline. Among them, Choi Min-jung drew particular attention. Widely regarded as the queen of short track, she will serve as the women’s team captain for South Korea at the upcoming Games. Choi has captured three gold medals and two silver medals across the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The display also featured Ahn Hyun-soo, an athlete who won Olympic gold medals while competing under both South Korean and Russian nationality, the latter under the name Viktor An. Athletes who participated in multiple Olympics after changing nationality were marked with an asterisk. Both “Ahn Hyun-soo*” and “Viktor An*” appeared on the display, reflecting his unique Olympic career.

In the men’s 1,500 meters, the display listed Lin Xiaojun, formerly Im Hyo-jun before his naturalization as a Chinese citizen, alongside Hwang Dae-heon as Olympic gold medalists. Im captured the title at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, while Hwang claimed gold at the 2022 Beijing Games. Following a conflict that escalated into a legal dispute involving allegations of sexual misconduct, Lin chose to change his nationality to China. Eight years after PyeongChang, the two are now set to meet again as rivals at these Olympics.

As this reporter continued scanning the displays, a European television journalist who made eye contact gestured toward the opposite side of the platform, saying there was more to see. He pointed out that all four ice sports held in Milan, speed skating, short track, figure skating and ice hockey, were featured, adding that he had never encountered a subway installation of this scale before. Taking in the Olympic records and vivid photographs for each discipline required nearly 20 minutes.

The colorful illustrations were produced through a collaboration between the Olympic museum YesMilano and Milan’s Metro Line 5. For South Korean visitors to Milan during the Games, the station offers a brief but striking moment of pride, one well worth experiencing.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com