Kia’s Premier Global Technical Competition
Kia announced on the 22nd that it held the 12th Kia Skill World Cup from May 19 to 21 at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul and the Kia Osan Training Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
The Skill World Cup is a global automotive maintenance technology competition organized by Kia to identify outstanding overseas technicians and enhance technical skills. The event, which began in 2002, has been held every two years.
At the awards ceremony of the 12th Kia Skill World Cup, a commemorative photo was taken featuring (from left) Aaron Addison, Guo Yuanlei, Tom Shaples, Kia Global Business Management Division Head Taehoon Lee, Maciej Podlecki, Jorian van Hartern, and Max Umbrs. Kia
This year’s Skill World Cup brought together 42 top technicians from 40 countries, all selected through national preliminaries. They competed in written tests on maintenance theory and hands-on practical exams that comprehensively assessed both vehicles and components.
Notably, the 12th Skill World Cup newly introduced evaluation criteria related to EVs and expanded the range of vehicle models for the practical assessment, with the goal of strengthening technological competitiveness in response to the era of electrification.
The gold medal for this competition went to Tom Shaples from the United Kingdom, who achieved a total score of 708. Guo Wonlay from China and Aaron Addison from the United States were awarded silver medals, while Jorian van Harten from the Netherlands, Max Umbs from the United States, and Maciej Podlecki from Poland each received bronze medals.
The winners were presented with trophies, medals, and cash prizes: USD 5,000 for gold, USD 3,000 for silver, and USD 2,000 for bronze. In addition, six recipients of the encouragement award each received a plaque and a USD 500 cash prize.
Furthermore, the event went beyond a simple technical competition by offering a program where participants could experience various aspects of Korean culture—including history, culture, relaxation, and trends. Through these activities, participants deepened their understanding and affinity for Korea while also strengthening networking and exchanges among top global technicians.
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A Kia representative stated, “Through this Skill World Cup, Kia will continue to strengthen maintenance capabilities that align with the era of electrification and strive to provide customers with an even more enhanced service experience.”
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
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