 Park Yong-sung, president of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) |
He read over his presentation dozens of times, working on his pronunciation and eye-contact. He also found out for the first time in his life that he wasn’t getting his “v”s and “b”s quite right.
But practice made perfect for Park Yong-sung, 71, president of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), and he even cracked a joke about Prince Albert II of Monaco having to spend his honeymoon at PyeongChang’s July 6 presentation in South Africa.
“When you practice that much, you just come to memorize it, and you become comfortable speaking in a dialogue-style rather than in the manner of a speech,” Park said in an interview at the KOC building in southern Seoul.
And when PyeongChang was announced as the host city for the 2018 Winter Games, he knew that Korea had made it onto the global stage once again.
“We did it,” said Park, smiling broadly. “The bid committee all worked so hard as a team, and everyone practiced so much.”
The PyeongChang Games will definitely be a chance to upgrade the country, just as the 1988 Olympics did, Park said, adding that the country and Korean people could look forward to another leap forward.
“Who said our sports diplomatic power was weak?” Park asked. PyeongChang won with an overwhelming 63 votes out of 95 cast in the sole round of voting at the 123rd International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Durban, beating out Munich of Germany and Annecy of France.
For Park, PyeongChang’s successful bid was a lifetime dream. He served as a member of the IOC from February 2002 to September 2007. Over the past four months, he threw himself headlong into the task.
“I bet my life on it,” he said.
Park, also chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries, had firsthand experience of how Korea grew after hosting the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. Park, then chairman of Oriental Brewery Co. (1984-1989), stepped into the world of sports, when the government asked business leaders to participate in the preparations.
After heading the Korea Judo Association and the International Judo Federation, he became an IOC member. His extensive network with IOC members was vital to PyeongChang’s successful bid. He is now vice-chairman of the Olympic Council of Asia, working as a liaison for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
He said the world of sports diplomacy has grown to where heads of state come forward to bring Olympic Games to their countries. Park lauded President Lee Myung-bak for his commitment — five days spent in Durban to solicit support from IOC members.
Now the country and the soon-to-be launched organizing committee must follow up on the pledges made in South Africa.
“We’ve made many promises... We will have to provide continuity on them,” Park said.
The bid committee vowed to open “New Horizons” for winter sports, to expand them to include participants across the world, even in warm countries like those in Southeast Asia.
“Currently, about 80 countries participate in the Winter Games. We have said that we will increase the number to 100 countries for the PyeongChang Games,” Park said.
“To keep its pledge, the government and sports sector will invest in facilities for winter sports and upgrade the “Drive the Dream Project.”
“We have already secured $5 billion from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation to invest in facilities and in training through 2017.”
Park said that the project is to include an “Olympic Sports Academy,” where young people can come to Korea to train and compete in winter sports.
He has witnessed how focused training and nurturing of talented young people enabled Korea to come fourth in the rankings at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
Korean participation in winter sports has grown rapidly in recent years. Emerging from its limited strength in short-track, the country produced Olympic gold medalist Kim Yu-na in figure skating and gold medalist Lee Seung-hoon in men’s 10,000-meter speed skating at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. The Drive the Dream Project envisions nurturing future Olympians.
Park remained upbeat about the success of the PyeongChang Winter Games. “We will do well,” he said, with a mixture of confidence and resolve.
He said that Koreans as hosts should make an effort to learn English and cultivate interest and participation in winter sports. He also said that the world of sports diplomacy is now wide open for the younger generation of Koreans.
“Young people need to learn English and French and become more versed in sports, history and even social etiquette.”
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