Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) expanded the scope of Korea's sports diplomacy by holding successive meetings with leading figures in international sports during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
Ryu Seung-min chairperson held successive meetings during the Olympics with newly formed IOC executive members including Kirsty Coventry, International Olympic Committee (IOC) chairperson, Pau Gasol Saez, the new IOC athletes' commission chairperson, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., IOC vice chairperson, and Li Lingwei, IOC executive board member. During the meetings they broadly exchanged views on key issues such as international sports governance, cooperation frameworks between the IOC and national Olympic committees (NOC), strengthening sports cooperation in the Asia region, and athlete support policies.
In the meeting with Li Lingwei, IOC executive board member, they shared experiences in expanding the Olympic movement among the Korea-China-Japan NOCs that continued through PyeongChang 2018·Tokyo 2020·Beijing 2022·Gangwon 2024, and agreed on the need to strengthen sports cooperation in the Asia region.
At the meeting with Jim Schaefer, chairperson of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), host of the next summer Olympics, they shared updates on preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and the 2034 Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, exchanged views on legacy utilization strategies after hosting the Olympics, and sought practical cooperation possibilities such as sharing future event operation experiences.
In the meeting with Thomas Weikert, president of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), with whom Ryu Seung-min has maintained ties through his work as an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) executive member, they shared experiences in Olympic-related policy and system operations and discussed ways to expand mutual exchanges to improve performance between the two countries centered on Olympic sports. Based on this, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) plans to pursue signing memorandums of understanding (MOU) for summer and winter sports exchange cooperation with major European countries including Germany.
The exchange network the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) has built with the international sports community positively functioned at Korea House, which operated during the Games. The opening ceremony was attended by 13 IOC commissioners including Spyros Capralos, IOC executive board member, and during the operating period visits continued from key figures such as Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., IOC vice chairperson; Nawwal El Moutawakel, IOC vice chairperson; and Sermiyan Ng, IOC commissioner.
Based on this, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) expanded its cooperation network by conducting about 80 meetings and working-level consultations with the IOC, national NOCs, international federations (IF), organizing committees, the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS), and the Los Angeles City Council, and laid the groundwork for follow-up projects such as joint projects and training exchanges.
Meanwhile, at the 145th IOC session, Kim Jae-yeol was elected as an IOC commissioner to the executive board and Won Yun-jong was elected as an IOC athletes' commission member, further expanding Korea's influence on the international sports stage.
Ryu Seung-min said, "The Olympics are an important diplomatic stage where the world's sports leaders gather," and added, "We have further strengthened the cooperation base with the IOC and major NOCs through this Winter Olympic Games," saying he would continue to expand international sports exchanges and cooperation to improve performance based on the networks formed.
[Photo] Provided by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC).
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