Korean candidate loses election for Int'l Paralymic Committee president

Bae Dong-hyun, left, chairman of the BDH Paras Foundation, poses with Jung Jin-owan, the President of the Korea Paralympic Committee, at the athletes' village in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, after being appointed Korea's chef de mission at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics . Courtesy of the Korea Paralympic Committee

Bae Dong-hyun, president of the Korea Para Nordic Skiing Federation, lost in the election for president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Saturday.

In a vote held during the IPC General Assembly in Seoul, Bae lost to the incumbent leader from Brazil, Andrew Parsons, by 109 votes to 68 votes. There were no abstentions.

Parsons, who has been at the helm since 2017, earned his third four-year term.

Bae was trying to become the first Asian leader of the world's top para sports organization. He vowed to achieve "concrete improvement" for the IPC if elected, setting his sights on sustainable financial growth and balanced governance, among others.

Bae is president of Changsung Group and chairman of both the BDH Paras Foundation and the Changsung Scholarship Foundation. He served as Korea's chef de mission at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics and the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics.