Ex-IOC member Ryu Seung-min to run for S. Korean Olympic chief

Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Olympic table tennis champion and a former member of the International Olympic Committee, officially entered the race to become the next head of the national Olympic body Tuesday.

Ryu, 42, formally tossed his name into the ring for the presidential election for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at a press conference in Seoul. The election is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025.

Lee Kee-heung, the incumbent head of the KSOC, has yet to formally declare his intent to go for his third term but is expected to do so in the coming days. A half dozen others have announced they will be in the running, including Kang Tae-sun, head of the Seoul Sports Council; Ahn Sang-soo, former mayor of Incheon; and Park Chang-beom, former head of the Korea Wushu Association.

Ryu served on the IOC's Athletes' Commission from 2016 to 2024 and was its vice chair from 2021 onward. He was also president of the Korea Table Tennis Association from 2019 to 2024.

He announced his bid amid mounting pressure on Lee, who has been suspended from his official duty by the sports ministry while facing allegations of misconduct, including illicit hiring practices and misappropriation of funds.

Ryu laid out a series of pledges, such as enhancing financial autonomy of the KSOC, ensuring independence of regional sports associations and national governing bodies of different sports, establishing a system to better take care of athletes and coaches and revitalizing sports programs at schools.

"The KSOC stands at a crossroads. It has to change or will be changed," Ryu said. "Rather than absorbing outside forces to change, I will lead proactive changes and ensure the independence and value of sportspeople. Sports can be infinitely valuable. They can connect countries and bring people together while also offering dreams and hopes."

Ryu said he will bank on his wealth of experience as an Olympic athlete, a coach and an international sports administrator, and try to give back to the sports community and build a hopeful future for sportspeople.

Ryu said he was never one to shy away from challenges as an athlete, and he will maintain the same mindset in his election campaign.

"To respond to the rapidly changing world of sports, it's time for a former athlete with expertise in administration to step up," Ryu said. "I understand athletes, coaches and administrators as well as anyone. I will build a happy world of sports that people are dreaming about."

With the race shaping up to be Lee against everyone else, candidates other than Ryu have discussed the possibility of putting out a unified, anti-Lee candidate.

Ryu said he hadn't given the idea much thought and he was in no rush to join forces with others.

"I think I am ahead of every other candidate at the moment," Ryu added. "The matter of having a single candidate is complicated. I have my own set of visions and philosophy. But as long as we can all have fair discussions and reach a conclusion that everyone can accept, I'd be open to the idea."

Ryu declined to get into the specifics of what he felt were the problems ailing the KSOC under Lee, with whom he served on the IOC for about five years.

Ryu also said he wasn't worried about what Lee would do should he decide to pursue his third term, adding, "I am busy enough working on my own campaign. I don't have time to pay attention to what he's up to."

As the youngest of the candidates, Ryu said his relative youth will serve him well if he's elected as the new KSOC president.

"I can work harder than anyone and I am pretty confident in my stamina and energy level," he said. "I think I am the only candidate who can respond proactively to this fast-changing world. I am surrounded by respected senior figures and I will continue to listen to their advice. And I've never once thought being younger than others was a disadvantage."

Ryu claimed he didn't have specific strategies to win the election, other than to approach voters with a pure heart.

"When I ran for IOC membership, that's how I worked during the campaign. I did with sincerity from the bottom of my heart," Ryu said. "If I can let sportspeople know I am in this with sincere intentions, then it could change the complexion of the election." (Yonhap)