"We will nurture the next-generation Park Tae-hwan and Kim Yuna."

JBNU's Sports Gifted Project Group, which identifies and nurtures athletic prodigies to lead the future of Korean sports, is recruiting athletic gifted students for 2012.

Applicants should be students in grades 2–6 of elementary school in the province who are not currently registered as athletes with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and who have outstanding physical attributes (height, weight, chest girth, etc.) and athletic ability, and who have been recommended by their school principal.

In addition, taking socially disadvantaged groups into consideration, approximately 10% of the newly selected students will be chosen from basic livelihood security beneficiaries and children of multicultural families.

The selection includes 40 students in total: 10 gymnasts and 10 swimmers from the Jeonju area, and 20 track and field athletes from the Gunsan area.

The application period runs until March 30, 2012, by 6:00 PM, and final selections will be made through first- and second-stage assessments and parent interviews.

Inquiries and applications can be made to the Sports Gifted Center (270-2849) and online (http://home.chonbuk.ac.kr/sportsman).

Students selected as sports gifted will receive all training programs, fitness tests, and other examinations provided with support from the government and the Sports Talent Development Foundation free of charge.

JBNU plans to develop them into leading figures in Korean sports by offering a variety of programs, including twice-weekly practical training led by specialized gifted coaches, character education such as sports English, sports science support such as exercise physiology and sports psychology, and integrated education.