Kim Yeon-kyung, Park In-bi, Jin Jong-oh, Lee Dae-hoon, Kim So-young… Who’s the candidate for the IOC?
“I will run hard with the goal of losing 10kg by walking 500km” (Golf Park In-bee)
“I’m very nervous. “I’ve played a lot of competitions, and I wonder if I’ve ever been this nervous.” (Volleyball Kim Yeon-kyung)
“I studied English for three hours a day and took private lessons.” (Shooting Jin Jong-oh)
A closed-door interview with the Korea Sports Council Evaluation Committee, the first gateway to selecting South Korean candidates for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was held at the Olympic Parktel in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 10th.
Currently, five candidates for the IOC membership are Taekwondo Lee Dae-hoon (31), volleyball Kim Yeon-kyung (35), shooting Jin Jong-oh (44), badminton Kim So-young (31), and golf Park In-bee (35). The five participated in in-depth interviews for 30 minutes from 1 p.m. on the same day. Archery Oh Jin-hyuk (41), who applied for a candidate, was absent from the interview and withdrew because he was participating in the training in Paris, France, in preparation for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
The evaluation committee consists of experts inside and outside the sports association. They reportedly asked questions about various standards, including the skills they should have as a member of the athletes’ committee. The English expert judges evaluated the players’ ability to use foreign languages. In addition, Olympic career and performance, international activities and recognition, and candidate suitability were also included in the evaluation criteria.
Although he is a world-class sports star, the players’ faces were clearly tense as it was the first gateway to the IOC athletes’ committee. Kim Yeon-kyung, who is famous for not shaking often, also met with reporters and said, “I’m very nervous. “I’ve played a lot of competitions, and I wonder if I’ve ever been this nervous,” he said adding, “I’ll do well as much as I prepared and studied.” Regarding the challenge for IOC athletes, he explained, “I have vaguely dreamed of sports administration or diplomacy, but I decided to challenge IOC athletes after thinking about what developmental things I can do for sports as the retirement time is approaching.”
Jin Jong-oh, the second challenge, also looked nervous. He said, “I’m excited because it’s an interview to select someone to represent Korea, and I feel a different tension than at the Olympics. “I prepared hard,” he said. “I’ve been a member of the national team for 20 years, half of my life, and now I’m dreaming of a life that supports the players.” During the selection of candidates ahead of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he competed with the current IOC member Yoo Seung Min (president of the Korea Table Tennis Association), but suffered a setback. Jin Jong-oh recalled the time and expressed confidence, saying, “I was able to prepare harder through the experience at that time,” adding, “I studied English for three hours a day and took personal lessons.”
“Golf Empress” Park In-bee also looked nervous on the day, saying, “I’m more nervous than ever.” He said, “I participated in the Rio Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics because of my dream of becoming an athlete member. He said, “I won the Rio Olympics gold medal with the Olympic spirit, and now I want to play a leading role in the ‘Olympic Movement’ (Olympic Movement) by promoting the spirit to the world.”
Regarding his late appearance compared to other players, he said, “Isn’t my nickname a ‘silent assassin’. “I have invested a lot of time quietly and hard to study,” he said. “I heard that Yoo Seung Min Hyun walked 450km and lost 6kg during the election, and I will aim to lose 10kg by walking 500km.” 스포츠토토
Lee Dae-hoon, the representative of Taekwondo, said, “I’m a little nervous because it’s my first official interview. “It’s not as much as I thought, but it’s when I play,” he said adding, “I did my best to prepare.” Kim So-young (31), a bronze medalist in badminton women’s doubles at the Tokyo Olympics, said, “It is an honor to be able to challenge with prominent candidates. “I haven’t been to the Olympic final yet, but I think I’m that nervous,” he said with a smile.