Resigning as President of the Korea Table Tennis Association in Yoo Seung Min "I challenge the president of the Korea Sports Council."
Sep 09, 2024
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At the end of the Korean Table Tennis Association's extraordinary general meeting of representatives held at the Olympic Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 9th, Yoo Seung Min announced his intention to resign as the chairman of the table tennis association and officially announced his challenge to become the chairman of the sports association.
Yoo Seung Min left a bold mark after serving as chairman for about five years, from 2019 to 2021, when he succeeded in the by-elections, and before resigning in 2024. Chairman Yoo Seung Min, who was elected to the IOC in 2016 and established himself as an international sports administrator, was elected as the 24th chairman through a by-election in 2019 following the vacancy of former Chairman Cho Yang-ho. He completed his one-year and seven-month term in a stable manner, dealing with the situation that could have been confusing due to the leadership vacuum. Based on this, he was elected as the 25th chairman in the December 2020 election and won a second term.
During his five-year tenure, Chairman Yoo Seung Min met the expectations of table tennis players who chose him by fulfilling the five pledges he made during his inauguration, ranging from 'Improving the Association's Financial Independence', 'Systemization of Sports Table Tennis for All''Building a Youth Player Development System'','Launching a Table Tennis Pro League'2024 Busan World Table Tennis Championships. In particular, in February of this year, the first domestic table tennis championship was successfully held, and thanks to this, it established a solid Korean table tennis status at home and abroad, with the success of hosting the '2026 World Masters International Table Tennis Competition' in Gangneung, where athletes from all over the world participate.
In addition to fulfilling his pledges, Chairman Yoo made various efforts to boost the performance of Korean table tennis, which had been suffering from a failure to win a medal in two Olympics. The result of the effort was particularly noticeable at the last Paris Olympics. It was the first medal in 12 years since the 2012 London Olympics. Beyond their performance, the national team impressed the people with their fantastic teamwork between the association, the leader, and the players.
During his five-year term, including by-elections, Yoo Seung Min will now briefly leave the table tennis players for a new challenge, turning his `concern that he was too young to serve as chairman' into a"praise that it was possible because he was young.' This is to challenge the election of the president of the Korea Sports Council next year. Representatives who attended the general meeting produced and delivered a plaque of appreciation that gathered their will to support Chairman Yoo's new challenge.
Chairman Yoo Seung Min has had a variety of experiences for 35 years, from the moment he first grabbed his racket at the age of 8, to 27 years as an athlete and leader, to being elected to the IOC, changing his clothes as an administrator, and 8 years. We have a broader perspective on the role of physical education and the future of athletes in our society, which has complex but endless possibilities. I want to contribute more to the sports world through my valuable experience and passion for physical education. I want to properly inform everyone of the physical education that creates various added values by taking the lead in improving the quality of life of the people, not the physical education community that is pointed out whenever there is a job."He expressed his ambition for the new challenge.The head of a sports organization that is running for the chairman's election can remain as the chairman and run for the election in a suspended state. However, Chairman Yoo Seung Min chose the straightforward method. "When you work, you always have the mindset of a player. The lesson that my life as a player has taught me is that I can't stand on top with small tricks or excuses. Prior to my personal challenge, I did not want to settle for any benefits from my title as the president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, and I resigned boldly because I thought that I should not neglect the association's work. I decided to play fair to be proud of myself."I explained the background of his early resignation.
The IOC Closing General Assembly was held at the end of the Paris Olympics, but President Yoo Seung Min was unable to attend as a medal winner for the Korean women's table tennis team. IOC President Thomasbach praised Yoo Seung Min for his performance as an IOC member over the past eight years, calling him a 'hard worker' for failing to attend the general meeting. Chairman Yoo Seung Min also added that "We plan to reveal concrete plans for our new challenge as soon as possible" Attention is focusing on how the new challenge of the 'Hard Walker' Yoo Seung Min, which has successfully completed the presidency of the Korea Table Tennis Association, will bear fruit.
sky4us@sportschosun.com
