Kim Yeon-koung, Park In-bee join IOC Athletes Commission race

Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung and golf legend Park In-bee both entered the race to become Korea's next IOC Athletes’ Commission member last week, joining sports shooter Jin Jong-oh and former Taekwondo practitioner Lee Dae-hoon on the ballot.

Kim Yeon-koung watches a Volleyball Nations League game between Korea and Bulgaria at West Suwon Chilbo Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on June 27. [YONHAP]

Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung and golf legend Park In-bee both entered the race to become Korea's next International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission member last week, joining sports shooter Jin Jong-oh and former Taekwondo practitioner Lee Dae-hoon on the ballot.

Kim, who is still active with the Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders, officially announced her bid, a Pink Spiders official said Thursday.

The move does not come as a surprise as Kim has shown interest in an administrative role in sports since retiring from national duty in 2021.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission serves as a link between athletes and the IOC and its members work to provide athletes with a platform to share their voice and experiences during their eight-year term.

Every country in the Olympics has the right to nominate a candidate for election to the commission.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee selects its final candidate based on three main factors: The candidates’ stats in Olympic and international events, English language skills and social reputation.

Any athlete involved in the most recent Olympics is eligible to run as a member, which Kim qualifies for by competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has competed in three Olympics — 2012, 2016 and 2021 — reaching the semifinals twice but never medaling.

“There are many good candidates this time,” Kim told reporters Thursday after a Korea Volleyball Federation game between the Pink Spiders and the GS Caltex Seoul KIXX at Park Chung-hee Gymnasium in Gumi, North Gyeongsang. "I expect this will not be easy."

Kim is also well-known to non-volleyball fans in Korea thanks to having appeared on multiple TV shows, but she does not intend to participate in TV programs for a while, as she will focus on becoming an IOC Athletes’ Commission member.

Her competition with other candidates for the position will be tough, as they are all big names in Korean sports.

Golfer Park has prepared to become an IOC Athletes’ Commission member since winning a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Park In-bee hits a shot during the BMW Ladies Championship at Asiad Country Club in Busan on Oct. 21, 2021. [KLPGA]

She is one of the most successful golfers in Korean history, having won 21 LPGA titles to be inducted as a Hall of Famer. Being fluent in English, having spent most of her career in the United States, makes her a stronger candidate than other competitors.

“Regardless of the result of the IOC Athletes’ Commission member selection, I will do my best to develop Korean sports and Olympics as an Olympian,” Park said through her agency Thursday.

Shorts shooter Jin, however, will be a tough candidate to beat.

Jin Jong-oh poses for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at Jong Oh Jin Shooting Academy in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on June 16. [JOONGANG ILBO]

He is not only the Korean athlete with the most Olympic medals ever at six, alongside archer Kim Soon-yung, but has grown his presence in the sports industry, taking multiple positions such as co-president of the 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympics, player-coach for the Seoul Shooting Team and Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) member.

Lee, on the other hand, has less Olympics medals than Jin, with two, but has over 20 medals from other Taekwondo events.

Lee Dae-hoon reacts after losing to Zhao Shuai of China in the bronze medal match in the men's 68kg Taekwondo event at the Tokyo Olympics at Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, Japan on July 25, 2021. [NEWS1]

His popularity grew after appearing in Korean TV show “The Gentleman’s League,” where former pro athletes from various sports form an amateur football club to win the national championship.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee will have to inform the IOC of its final candidate by Sept. 1, before athletes involved in the Paris Olympics elect the candidates next year.

They will elect four members in total from all of the candidates put forward.

There have been two Korean members to hold the position, with former Taekwondo practitioner Moon Dae-sung serving his term from 2008 through 2016 and Ryu Seung-min still holding the spot since 2016.

Ryu’s term will end next year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]