IOC member Ryu Seung-min talks about his activities before end of his term in Paris Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ryu Seung-min shows the gold medal he received ahead of the end of his term on the streets of Champs-Élysées in Paris, France on August 9. Reporter Hwang Min-kook

On August 10, just a few days before the closing of the 2024 Paris Olympics, International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ryu Seung-min was walking towards the Stade Yves-du-Manoir Stadium, where the men's hockey final would be held.

"The IOC asks its athlete members for their favorite events first, and I got an event that Korean athletes don't participate in. I can't believe I'll be a free agent in a few days."

An IOC member serves as a bridge between the IOC and active athletes and is an elected official with an eight-year term. Moon Dae-sung worked as the first Korean member of the IOC at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Ryu is widely regarded as having followed suit. Ryu’s first IOC event that he participated as an IOC member was the Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam, in September 2016.

"Back then, I lacked language skills and knowledge to run an international competition," Ryu said. "By the way, the IOC gave me a first-class ticket, so I made an effort to do something. I think that my efforts made me what I am today."

Ryu’s performance can be gauged by two indicators. The first one is integrity which is measured by the mileage he accumulated while diligently traveling across the world. He has become a "million miler" (who has flown a million miles or more), which he did not achieve even when he traveled around the world as a player. Also the IOC checks the activities of its members with their attendance rate every year, and he has always been a top member because his attendance rate was close to 99 percent.

It is regrettable that Korean women’s golf champion Park In-bee failed to become a member of the IOC on August 8. Park, who was a candidate for IOC members representing Korea, finished the election 18th among 29 candidates with 590 votes.

The golfer, who is pregnant with her second child, unfortunately failed to move the athletes’ hearts. "I don't agree with the view that this is the limit of professional sports, not amateur sports. It is just an era in which only good election campaigns do not work as in the past (when I was elected),” Ryu said.

He added, "I'm not too worried because Lee Kee-heung (president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee) and Kim Jae-yeol (president of the International Skating Union) are still doing well. But I'm worried that the proportion of IOC members is increasing. I think the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee’s athlete members should be more active in the future."

He emphasized that it is time to think about an election for membership on the Athletes' Commission of the IOC, which will take place in two years at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. "I feel that the competition for the election is getting fiercer every year," said Ryu, adding, "We need to start preparing for the next election from now on."

Ryu’s next move is also drawing keen attention. He also serves as the president of the Korea Table Tennis Association and is pursuing an elite course in sports administration. Last year, there was a movement in politics to send him to the National Assembly, but he refused it.

Recalling that time, Ryu said, "It was a path of honor for me personally, but it was a lot of pressure for me because I had to host the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan well. I had a sense of responsibility as a person who represents Korean table tennis.” He added, "This year marks the 20th anniversary of my winning the gold medal in the Athens Olympics in 2004. I will seek advice from people around me on what path to take in the future."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.