Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korea Sports Council. yunhap news
The Tokyo Olympics, which were even uncertain whether or not to be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will come to an end with the closing ceremony on the 8th.
17 days of heat. The Korean team finished the Tokyo Olympics with 6 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals, placing 15th in the overall ranking (as of 11 am on the 8th). Although it failed to achieve the goal of 7 gold medals and 10th to 15th overall rankings, it was an Olympics that saw hope thanks to the young athletes’ good performances and the changed attitudes of the athletes.
Ki-heung Lee, president of the Korea Sports Council, said at a press conference on the 8th, “I’ve been to the Olympics 6 times and the Asian Games 4 times, but this time I’m disappointed with the results and various other things.” I got it up, but unfortunately, I couldn’t achieve my goal,” he said.
He added, “I want to evaluate that our players performed well in a difficult environment.” “The players enjoyed the game and played fair play. In particular, Kim Yeon-kyung’s dedication and leadership of volleyball showed the growth of Korean sports.” .
The performances of the young players stood out. 17-year-old Kim Je-deok won two archery titles, and 18-year-old Hwang Seon-woo set a new Asian record in swimming. Teenagers such as Shin Yu-bin (17) in table tennis, Seo Chae-hyun (18) in sports climbing, Seo-jeong (19) in mechanical gymnastics and Se-young Ahn (19) in badminton did not get discouraged even in the first Olympics.
Chairman Lee Ki-heung said, “The performance was at the highest level during the London Olympics, but a generational change was completely achieved through this event. Ansan, gymnast Shin Jae-hwan, etc. showed great potential. So did Yeo Seo-jeong, Kim Min-jeong, Jang Jun, etc. Some athletes did not win medals in 4th place. I saw Park Tae-hwan disqualified at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Hwang Seon-woo has a much brighter future. Many new talents such as Kwon Eun-ji, Ryu Seong-hyun, Woo Sang-hyeok, Woo Haram, and Jeon Woong-tae were discovered. It will be a great asset in the future.”
There was also regret. This is due to the sluggishness of traditional sports such as taekwondo, wrestling, and boxing. Taekwondo was the first to achieve no gold, and wrestling and boxing made it difficult to even participate in the Olympics.
Chairman Lee Ki-heung said, “When I go in, I try to hold a hearing with the officials and experts. I have to come up with alternatives without self-interest. It cannot be maintained through customary practice. Fundamentally, we have to come up with a plan by reflecting on all issues together.” There was a clear thought that we might win because the stock has been strong,” he promised.
Normalization of school physical education was also mentioned.
Chairman Lee Ki-heung said, “We fundamentally agree and follow the normalization of school physical education. However, it is necessary to make the classes for professional athletes flexible.” “Some athletes did not go to school for sports. must,” he said.
He continued, “School physical education should be normalized. It is important for athletes to study, but general students also need to exercise. That way, talented athletes are naturally discovered.” It should be done. Regulatory policies also need to be supplemented according to reality,” he emphasized.
