Summer 2016 will be rememberd by many around the world with keywords like athletes, team
pride, sportsmanship, the Olympic Games.
But, for those of us in Korea, we can add another special hashtag, if you will.
A new Korean member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission.
That very member is with us in the studio today: We want to welcome Ryu Seungmin, an
Olympic champion in table tennis at the 2004 Athens Summer Games and newly elected member
of the IOC Athletes Commission.
Seungmin, first of all, congratulations You've been elected as one of four new members
of the IOC Athletes' Commission.
For those of us not too much in the know, tell us what it means to be part of the IOC
Athletes' Commission, what inspired you to shoot for that goal?
"Once selected, you are a member of the IOC athletes commission, for 8 years.
It’s composed of 15 people, and 12 are chosen right during the actual Olympics..
As for the summer Olympics this time around, we had 4 vacant spots, which is why we chose
to elect 4 new members out of 23 candidates.
So over 11-thousand people who participated who competed in the Olympics worldwide gave
direct votes, and the votes went on during the actual Olympics
The athletes’ commission represents the voice of the athletes, defends their rights,
and deals with all issues pertinent to their well-being, and we act almost the same as
other IOC members.
One reason we decided to do this, is that we experienced many things while training
as an athlete for over 25 years…
I have plenty of experience as an athlete but for everything else, I am pretty much
a novice…so I thought that applying for the position would be a good learning experience,
and the athletes recognized that I was sincerely interest in taking this job."
how did you win the hearts of your fellow Olympians?
"When I arrived at Rio, I was pretty certain of how I should approach the athletes, and
I also had a pretty good sense of what I had to say to them…that’s of course because
I am an athlete myself, and also because I have experience as an actual voter in past
elections.
And obviously the athletes are very tense and sensitive during the Olympics because
they have to be focused 100% on reaching their peak potentials…so I can’t just walk up
to them out of the blue and tell them to vote for me.
So I took my time to introduce myself and create an attentive audience…I walked around
a lot, somewhere around 35000 steps or 25 kilometers during a single day.
Once a match starts and a lot of athletes start gathering up in one place, I would go
there but I won’t just stand still in one spot, but rather walk around the stadium and
approach the athletes, and say things in their native tongue…I did that almost every single
day, from 7 am to 9 pm, for 27 days, so in the end, I had some athletes come up to me
first and encourage me.
In the beginning however, I had athletes asking me stuff like, “Where is the bus stop,”
or “Where is the restaurant?”
A lot of people thought I was just a volunteer at first, but once they saw that I was putting
on a sincere campaign-effort, they seemed to have a very good impression of me and it
all worked out well in the end."
What was your key pledge to them?
"Mainly 2 things…
When I went to meet the athletes, a lot of them didn’t even know what the Athletes
Commission is, or what good it is for them.
It’s because they are just so focused on their performance and career…when I explained
to them what the athletes commission is, the athletes asked me about what kind of specific
“voice” the commission represents, and I was a little shaken myself because I didn’t
know how to answer that question.
I was just a candidate and had never really worked “in” the IOC.
So I pledged to them that if I do become a member, I will create a strong and reliable
bond with the athletes, see things from their eye-level, and really work things out for
the benefit of the athletes.
Another pledge I made was that I was going to improve the lives of the athletes ‘after’
their careers on the field…
I’ve been a professional athlete for 25 years, served as a coach after that, retired,
and am now embarking on a new challenge.
So I told them that I was aware of the difficulties faced by athletes after their competitive
careers come to a close.
I told the voters that because I am retired, I have a lot of free time, and can pretty
much run anywhere to where I am needed most…which really clicked with the athletes.
Korea has only just found out about the poor quality of life for retired athletes, I found
out that athletes from countries in Europe, Africa and the Americas were facing the same
problems as well…
"
From here on forth... for the next eight years, what would your schedule look like and what
would you like to have achieved by the end of your term?
" I usually plan for each day rather than mapping long term plans.
But we do have our first meeting on the 4th of November.
That day we get to know what kind of role we would take and which committee I would
be assigned to during the orientation.
I guess it's not easy to plan for the next eight years for now, but I wish I could earn
favorable evaluations as a member of the commission so that in eight years time, I would be able
to become an individual committee member.
And we have the Pyeongchang Olympics waiting ahead.
Many Korean IOC Committee members told me they are very much looking forward to the
upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics when we exchanged greetings for the first time.
So I hope I could fulfill my role in whatever I can do and contribute to bringing good results
in the upcoming Winter Games.
"
We wish you all the best and the entire country will be cheering you on in carrying out your
role as a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission.