Faker becomes the first esports player to receive the Cheonyeong Medal – The highest sports honour in Korea

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 02/01/2026

Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok has become the first esports player in history to be awarded the Cheonyeong Medal for contributions to Physical Education.

The medal is the highest order of the Order of Sport Merit, awarded for improving the national status through sports and improving citizens’ physiques.

The T1 star receives the honour after following T1’s threepeat victory at Worlds 2025, which represented Faker’s sixth Worlds title in total.

What is the Cheonyeong Medal?

The Cheonyeong (Blue Dragon) Medal is the highest order of South Korea’s Order of Sport Merit award, only available to those who have won Olympic Gold or achieved a World Championship victory in their respective field.

As such, previous recipients of the award have largely been Olympic, World Championship, or Asian Games gold medalists.

Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung-min was also awarded the honour despite not winning an Olympic Gold or World Championship, following his Golden Boot-winning 2021-22 Premier League season.

It goes without saying that Faker requires no special dispensation, as Faker helped T1 to their third Worlds in a row with their 2025 victory, further cementing his legacy as League’s greatest player.

Faker provided the following statement after receiving the honour:

“It is a great honour to receive the Medal of Honour for representing the Republic of Korea. I was able to stand here thanks to my colleagues and team members who have been running together until now, and I hope that this decoration I received will be a little joy and pride for everyone who cares about Korean esports.

It would not have been possible without the support of the fans who always stood by us. We will continue to do our best every moment to deliver a positive message on and off the pitch and increase the status of Korean esports.” (translated)

Faker’s agency, Fanable, also provided a statement, saying, “This award is an encouraging milestone that once again imprinted the status of the Republic of Korea, which is an e-sports stalwart nation, to the world. I think it is very significant that Lee Sang-hyuk’s historic achievements have been honoured with the pride of Korean esports.”

The award marks further proof of the cultural significance of esports in South Korea, which has seen Korean League of Legends broadcast both on terrestrial television and Disney+ which streamed the 2025 KeSPA Cup.

Following their offseason success at the KeSPA Cup, T1 and Faker will return to action in the LCK Cup from January 14.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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