How to privatize the sports commission?

Sports leaders must build their own administrative and self-correcting skills.

Chung Jeh-wonThe author is a culture and sports news director of the JoongAng Ilbo. Lee Kee-heung was the first elected president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) since the national sports body was founded in 1920. Around 2,000 delegates of various sports associations took part in the vote after the merger of the Korean Olympic Committee and the Korea Council of Sports for All in 2016.

The marriage of the two sports organizations brought elite and grassroots sport players under one roof. Many agreed to the purpose of balancing the biased support for elite and amateur sports. The government and the sports community expected a single chair to better foster a mutually reinforcing cycle in the sports field.

But the direct vote system came with a price. Local sports organizations vied to curry favor with the central organization for funding. The chair indulged them to win their votes. Since being re-elected in 2021, Lee has been running the organization for eight years and has been unruly with his elected authority.

On Aug. 13, Lee abruptly ordered the last-minute cancellation of the homecoming ceremony for Team Korea returning from the Paris Olympics with 13 gold medals — the first double-digit gold haul in the Summer Games. This baffled Culture and Sports Minister Yu In-chon who had been waiting at Incheon International Airport to greet the Olympians.

The KSOC had arranged the ceremony at a convention hall at the airport. Medalists — including those who were already home as their games ended earlier, like gold medalists Kim Woo-jin of archery and Gu Bong-gil of fencing and silver medalist Huh Mi-mi of judo — gathered at the airport to attend the ceremony. But they found the event cancelled at the chairman’s call. The grievance also had a financial toll. The expense of 23 million won ($17,218) for the homecoming ceremony went down the drain. Who should take responsibility for that?

The KSOC had sent 98 “observers” to the Paris Olympics. They went on a six-day trip to the city to watch the games in three groups. The KSOC footed the bill, except for their flights. The composition of those observers was equally outlandish. They even included the head of a unit of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and an executive monk of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Chairman Lee’s private driver also got an invitation. There was no principle or criteria behind choosing the observing guests. Many of them were electors whose votes are essential ahead of next year’s election to pick a new leadership. The trip can only be suspected of being used to solicit votes.

The bill for entertaining the guests amounted to 660 million won. The KSOC explained that 600 million won was covered by corporate donations and 60 million won came from its own budget. But who authorized the organization to spend the money companies donated to support athletes for its self-serving purpose? In recent years, the KSOC privately struck more than 300 business deals instead of going through a transparent bidding process. If it were a private company, that amounts to the crime of embezzlement or malfeasance.

The government appropriates 420 billion won to the KSOC from state coffers every year. The fund should be used to support elite athletes and promote grassroots sports. Should sport management be left under the watch of such a reckless board? Lee was summoned to the legislature for questioning on sports affairs last month and again this week. He merely repeated his apology when grilled by lawmakers.

It is sad to see sports leaders going through lawmakers’ interrogations. Legendary baseball player Sun Dong-ryul was summoned in 2018 over allegation of favoritism related to some members on the national baseball team during his managerial tenure. Hong Myung-bo, the new manager of the national football team, was called at this week’s hearing. Lawmakers can question the administrators of the state-funded KSOC or the Korea Football Association, but they should respect legendary sports players. What would our children think when they see their sports heroes being roasted by lawmakers?

The farce must end. Sports leaders must build their own administrative and self-correcting skills. Most of all, the head of the KSOC should be up-to-date and balanced. If not, lawmakers’ won’t stop bashing the sports world.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.