‘Excellent specifications’ Jin Jong-oh, ‘awareness + world star’ Kim Yeon-kyung and Park In-bi variable

Jin Jong-oh, chairman of the organizing committee, greets at the appointment ceremony of a promotional ambassador and cultural event supervision advisory group for the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics held at Olympic Parktel on March 24.

Kim Yeon-kyung, an advisor to the South Korean women’s volleyball team, takes a picture to fans after the 2023 Suwon Volleyball Nations League match against Bulgaria at Chilbo Gymnasium in Seosuwon on June 27.

Volleyball Kim Yeon-kyung, golf Park In-bee (35), shooting Jin Jong-oh (44), taekwondo Lee Dae-hoon (31), archery Oh Jin-hyuk (41), badminton Kim So-young (31). Six sports stars, like the faces of each event, have entered the competition for the position of South Korean candidates for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) athletes. Only one of them will run for South Korea’s representative. 스포츠토토

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee sent an official letter to each sports organization on the 21st of last month ahead of the election of IOC athletes scheduled for the July 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Kim Yeon-kyung, Jin Jong-oh, and Lee Dae-hoon showed their willingness to run early. Then, as the deadline for recommendations reached on the 4th, Park In-bee, Oh Jin-hyuk, and Kim So-young joined, and six recommended documents were submitted to the sports association. Four athletes will be elected during the Paris Olympics. Athletes’ votes will be held for candidates recommended by the National Olympic Committee (NOC), and each NOC must recommend one candidate to the IOC by September 1. The Sports Council plans to confirm one candidate as soon as possible through internal review and qualification procedures by the athletes’ committee.

President of the Korea Table Tennis Association Yoo Seung Min, who is an active member of the IOC Athletes’ Committee.

There are two Korean IOC athletes in history. Moon Dae-sung, a gold medalist in taekwondo at the 2004 Athens Olympics, was first elected at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition, Yoo Seung Min, chairman of the Korea Table Tennis Association, a gold medalist in table tennis at the Athens Games, was elected during the 2016 Rio Olympics and is serving an eight-year term.

The sports association does not disclose detailed evaluation items other than candidates. However, the results of international competitions, including the Olympics, English ability to perform international affairs, and international recognition are known to be the main topics. When Chairman Yoo was selected as the Korean representative of the athletes’ committee in 2015, he competed with Jin Jong-oh until the last minute, and it is widely known that he gained the upper hand with better evaluation in English skills.

Jin Jong-oh, who is trying to run for the athlete committee again, is considered the most likely candidate this time. First of all, he is unrivaled in his Olympic performance. He holds six medals, including four gold medals and two silver medals, and holds the record for the most medals in archery (gold 4, silver 1, bronze 1) and the most medals in the history of the Korean Olympics. It is known that English ability, which was a factor of “fall” eight years ago, has also improved significantly recently.

On the other hand, Kim Yeon-kyung’s biggest weapon is her overwhelming ‘domestic and foreign recognition’. Kim Yeon-kyung is a living legend who led Korean women’s volleyball to the semifinals at the 2012 London and 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Beyond the national team, she has been reborn as a “world star” by playing in women’s volleyball overseas top leagues such as Turkiye and China and earning the world’s highest annual salary. The lack of an Olympic medal is a big weakness.

An official from the sports community said, “It is true that after being selected as a representative of Korea, awareness plays a greater role in competition with each NOC candidate. In Korea, Jin Jong-oh seems to be the best candidate for the player committee, but he predicted that those with international recognition such as Kim Yeon-kyung cannot be excluded.

Park In-bee also won 21 games on the LPGA Tour, including winning four major tournaments. He also made history as a “golden slam” by winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games, where golf was revived as an Olympic event for the first time in 116 years. The biggest strength is native English ability. If he becomes a Korean representative, he has the power to flexibly persuade officials from other countries in the “election campaign.”

Lee Dae-hoon won silver and bronze medals at the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games, respectively. He is a Korean taekwondo star who has also won the world championship three times. He was elected as a member of the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) athletes’ committee for a four-year term at the 2023 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, in June. At that time, he drew attention for his sincere attitude of winning the hearts of athletes from around the world.

Oh Jin-hyuk won gold medals in the individual and team events at the 2012 London and 2021 Tokyo Games, respectively. There are also five team gold medals at the World Championships. Kim So-young is the representative star of badminton women’s doubles, which collaborated with Gong Hee-yong to win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.

IOC athletes’ members have the same rights and obligations as IOC members, such as voting for the venue for the winter and summer Olympics. As it serves as a bridge between IOC and athletes, it can contribute greatly to Korean sports diplomacy.