[Field Story] Golf Queen, Mom Golfer, and IOC Athlete Representative

‘Silent Assassin’ Chooses New Challenge
‘Career Golden Slam’ Olympic Hero Emerges
Perfect English Skills "I Will Walk 500km to Win"

The nickname of golf queen Park In-bee is the "Silent Assassin." She is calm and quiet on the field. She never wavers. This is the strength that has made Park In-bee who she is today.

Park In-bee has chosen a new challenge. She is aiming to become an International Olympic Committee (IOC) athlete representative. With the term of Yoo Seung-min (table tennis), who has been serving as an IOC athlete representative, ending next year, Korea can nominate a new candidate for the athlete representative. On the 14th, Park In-bee was selected as the final candidate for the IOC Korean athlete representative. She won the competition against prominent sports stars such as Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Yeon-koung (volleyball), Lee Dae-hoon (taekwondo), and Kim So-young (badminton).

Unlike other candidates, Park In-bee announced her intention to run for the IOC athlete representative late. Regarding this, she explained, "Isn't my nickname the 'Silent Assassin'? I quietly and diligently invested a lot of time studying." She said, "I participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of my dream to become an athlete representative," adding, "I won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics with the Olympic spirit, and now I want to promote that spirit worldwide and take a leading role in the Olympic movement."

Park In-bee, who has achieved everything in golf, is taking on a new path as an IOC athlete representative.

The IOC athlete representative exercises the same rights as other IOC members, including voting on the selection of Olympic host cities. They act as a bridge between athletes and the IOC and contribute to sports diplomacy. Park In-bee is a figure who fits the role of an IOC athlete representative. She has achieved 21 wins on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, including 7 major championships. She completed the "career grand slam" by winning four different major tournaments and was inducted into the Hall of Fame early on. At the Rio Olympics, where women's golf was reinstated as an official Olympic event after 112 years, she won the gold medal. She is the first-ever "career golden slammer."

Park In-bee also participated in the Tokyo Olympics once again. This was a move with the IOC athlete representative position in mind. To run for the IOC athlete representative, candidates must have participated in the Olympic Games immediately preceding the election. In April, after 9 years of marriage, Park In-bee gave birth to her first daughter. Having succeeded in golf and now with a daughter, she began to consider her new career path more actively. Ultimately, she chose a path that would allow her to expand her domain into administration and diplomacy after retirement.

Park In-bee has a strong asset: her fluent English skills. She moved to the U.S. when she was in middle school and spent most of her athletic career there. Her English is at a native level. The athlete representative candidate evaluation committee conducted evaluations in the order of English self-introduction, English interview, and Korean interview for each candidate. Park In-bee thoroughly prepared on the history and activities of the IOC, the Olympic spirit, and the Olympic movement. She overwhelmed her competitors from the interviews onward and was selected as Korea’s representative IOC athlete candidate.

Of course, being an IOC athlete representative candidate does not guarantee election. The IOC reviews candidates recommended by each country and selects the final athlete representative candidates. The IOC athlete representatives are elected by direct voting of athletes participating in the Olympics. To become an IOC athlete representative, one must be among the top 4 in the voting at the Paris Olympics next year. Park In-bee gritted her teeth to realize her dream. She said, "I heard that current athlete representative Yoo Seung-min walked 450 km and lost 6 kg during the election, so I aim to walk 500 km and lose 10 kg," showing her enthusiasm.

Park In-bee also said she would not be disappointed even if she does not become an IOC athlete representative. Jang Mi-ran, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who did not serve as an IOC athlete representative but has been very active after retirement, expressed hope that younger generations would dream bigger by seeing Park In-bee’s challenge. The great journey of the "Silent Assassin," "Golf Queen," and "Mom Golfer" Park In-bee has already begun.