In South Korea's sudden craze for curling, it really is all in a name.
Free flights and baseball tickets are just some of the freebies South Korean companies are offering to anyone named Yeong-mi (yuhng-MEE), the name of the lead sweeper for the women's curling team that won an unexpected silver medal at the recently completed Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2018, file photo, Kim Yeong-mi of South Korea watches during her women's curling final in the Gangneung Curling Centre at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea.
In South Korea’s sudden craze for curling, it really is all in a name. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
The five-member team, from a remote province famous for its garlic, captured hearts in a country that hardly knew curling before. Dubbed the Garlic Girls, they have become sought-after models for commercials and inspired countless online memes and catch-phrases.
Among them is "Yeong-mi ya," or "Hey Yeong-mi," which the team's skip, or captain, repeatedly called out to give guidance to lead sweeper Kim Yeong-mi. Commentators dissected the skip's intentions based on how she called Kim's name or how many times she said "Yeong-mi," a common first name.
And so a marketing campaign was born.
FILE - In this Feb. 23, 2018, file photo, a South Korea supporter holds a picture of South Korea's skip Kim Eunjung as she watches her team during a women's semi-final curling match against Japan at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Budget carrier Tway Air is giving away 200 roundtrip tickets to Nagoya, Japan, to people named Yeong-mi. Hundreds have left a comment on the airline's website identifying themselves as Oh Yeong-mi, Cho Yeong-mi, Lee Yeong-mi, etc.
The Samsung Blue Wings baseball team is inviting anyone with the name to its opening day K-League game. The Lotte World amusement park is offering discounts through mid-March to people who have either "Yeong" or "Mi" in their names.
In the team's home province of North Gyeongsang, the BlueOne Water Park is being even more generous: It is giving free entrance to those sharing the first name of any of the five team members.
Curling is relatively new to South Korea. The first curling center opened in 2006 in Uiseong, where four of the five Garlic Girls attended the same high school. The team, which came into the Olympics ranked eighth in the world, crushed heavyweights Canada and Sweden before beating Japan 8-7 in the semifinals. It fell to Sweden 8-3 in the finals. By then, the team members, with their success and quirky nicknames based on their favorite breakfast foods, had become a sensation.
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — The World Cup glitters as a new objective for Congo after its elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Algeria substitute Adil Boulbina’s last-gasp extra-time rocket ended Congo’s Africa Cup hopes in the last 16 on Tuesday, but the Leopards’ attention has quickly switched to a bigger prize.
“We must thoroughly analyze what didn’t work because some things didn’t work,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said. “And immediately focus on a very, very important objective that awaits us in March.”
Congo can clinch one of the last qualification places for the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States with a win over New Caledonia or Jamaica in a playoff in Mexico on March 31.
“It’s a beautiful competition,” Congo captain Chancel Mbemba said of the Africa Cup. “But we still have a last competition, a final game, if God wants it.”
Mbemba knows all about last-gasp winners as it was his stoppage-time goal that helped defeat Cameroon 1-0 in the African World Cup playoff semifinal.
The Leopards then defeated Nigeria in a penalty shootout – opposition coach Éric Chelle claimed “some voodoo” at work – to advance to the intercontinental playoffs. Mbemba again sealed the win.
Congo has developed into one of the continent’s strongest sides in recent years. It finished second behind unbeaten Senegal in its World Cup qualifying group.
Supported by a living statue of slain independence hero Patrice Lumumba at the Africa Cup, Congo started with a win over Benin, drew with 2021 winner Senegal, then defeated Botswana 3-0 to reach the last 16.
Congo reached the semifinals at the last edition in Ivory Coast, where the players wore black armbands to highlight the armed conflict in the east of the country. Mbemba and forward Cédric Bakambu have also used social media to bring attention to the fighting.
The Congo team’s on-field successes have helped keep international attention on the central African country, and consequently on the humanitarian crisis. World Cup qualification could bring more exposure.
The team has benefitted from the Congolese diaspora across Europe. The 21-year-old Noah Sadiki, born in Brussels, could have played for Belgium but he opted to represent the country of his parents.
“It’s a personal choice,” Sadiki told reporters last week. “I wouldn’t force anyone to choose Congo. I made that decision of my own free will. There’s a new generation that wants to help the people of the country.”
Belgian-born goalkeeper Matthieu Epolo (20) and midfielder Mario Stroeykens (21) also chose Congo.
Experienced French coach Desabre has moulded a committed side that’s proving very hard to beat. Only wayward finishing let the team down against Algeria.
Desabre, who has been in charge since 2022, said stability was key to the team’s development, being allowed the time to put changes in place, for bonds between the players and technical staff to grow, and to recover from setbacks.
“I’m very optimistic for Congolese football because we haven’t yet fully exploited the potential for growth in the academies, the local league, all this local talent that will bring even more strength to Congo in the years to come,” Desabre said before the Algeria game.
The coach said Congo was still behind the likes of Senegal and Cameroon, where players learn vital skills in academies before going on to play in the stronger European leagues.
“I’m very optimistic because there’s still this lever that will become active in Congo and that will make the team even stronger in the years to come,” Desabre said.
But, first, there’s a World Cup ticket up for grabs.
“Every one of us will return, we’ll work. We’ll ask God to keep every player fit. And – if God wants it – in the last match, everything is possible,” Mbemba said.
AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
DR Congo's Michel-Ange Balikwisha, foreground, reacts as Algeria players celebrate their side's first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Algeria and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Algeria's Himad Abdelli, bottom, stops DR Congo's Theo Bongonda during the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Algeria and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, a DR Congo fan impersonating late Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba poses before the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Algeria and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
DR Congo's Chancel Mbemba, left, and Algeria's Hicham Boudaoui react during the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Algeria and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
A supporter of Congo cheers for his national team before the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 soccer match between Algeria and DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
