Who Will Earn the Honor of Being the Final Candidate for the IOC Athletes' Commission?

Jin Jong-oh, Kim Yeon-koung, Park In-bi, Lee Dae-hoon, Kim So-young Declare Candidacy
Korean Sport & Olympic Committee to Finalize Candidates at Senior Council Meeting on 14th

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the organization that oversees the Summer and Winter Olympics. It wields significant authority in the field of sports. The number of IOC members a country has produced is often used as a measure of that country's status. In South Korea, Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, serve as representatives of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and as athlete members, respectively. The latter was elected in a voting process held during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The expectation that he can effectively represent the voices of athletes worldwide has earned him the title of "the best athlete." This comes with considerable honor and pride.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The IOC Athletes' Commission consists of up to twenty-three members. Twelve of them, including Representative Yoo, are elected athlete members serving eight-year terms, while eleven are appointed by the IOC President to balance gender, regional, and sport representation. Four athlete members, including Representative Yoo, will complete their terms next year. During the Paris Summer Olympics next year, four new athlete members will be elected to replace them. On the 10th, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee held a closed interview for the first stage of selecting Korean candidates at the Olympic Parktel in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Five athletes?Taekwondo's Lee Dae-hoon (31), volleyball's Kim Yeon-koung (35), shooting's Jin Jong-oh (44), badminton's Kim So-young (31), and golf's Park In-bee (35)?submitted their candidacies. They explained their journey to becoming athlete member candidates and their strengths in front of the evaluation committee. Their foreign language proficiency (English or French), a mandatory qualification for athlete member candidates, was also assessed.

Jin Jong-oh, who has won four Olympic gold medals, said, "With 20 years of experience as a national representative, many of my friends are now coaches or officials worldwide," adding, "I firmly believe my friends will support me." Kim Yeon-koung, who is considered advantageous in terms of national recognition, said, "Unlike other candidates, I am an athlete from a team sport. I have served as the captain of the national team for a long time and have also been captain overseas, striving to act as a bridge to resolve unfair issues for athletes." She continued, "I believe I am better than other athletes not only in problem-solving skills but also in influence, which will help promote sports more effectively."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park In-bee, who combines national status and recognition with English proficiency, said, "Golf is a popular sport. I think the advantages of a popular sport are significant," explaining, "During the Tokyo Olympics, Pau Gasol, an NBA player, ranked first in the athlete member vote." She pledged, "I am someone who persistently achieves goals once I set them. I will work hard." Lee Dae-hoon and Kim So-young highlighted their experience as athlete members in their respective international federations, the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Lee Dae-hoon said, "If I am selected domestically, I promise to support all taekwondo practitioners worldwide to be selected for the main event. Being the youngest among the candidates, I believe I can create synergy with younger athletes." Kim So-young said, "As an active player and BWF athlete member, I think I can listen to athletes' voices up close and convey them well."

Based on the interview results, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee will narrow down the candidates to three. On the morning of the 14th, the final candidate will be decided through the Elders' Council, and the veil will be lifted after the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission approval process on the 16th and 17th. The Elders' Council, chaired by former Korean Sport & Olympic Committee president Kim Jeong-gil, includes former presidents Park Yong-seong and Kim Jeong-haeng, former presidents of the National Sports for All Federation Lee Gang-du and Seo Sang-gi, former vice-chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee Jang Chung-sik, former president of the Korea Golf Association Yoon Se-young, Seoul National University emeritus professor Kwon Yoon-bang, and Sejung chairman Cheon Shin-il as members. The IOC, which receives athlete member candidate lists from each NOC, will verify candidates' qualifications and ethics and select those to appear on the ballot by two months before the opening of the Paris Olympic Village next year.