[배드민턴코리아] Lee Hyeong-kwan, president of the Korea University Badminton Federation, who took office as president in 2021 and completed three-quarters of his term, is a badminton enthusiast with 25 years of experience and is also the CEO of a food ingredients supplier for school lunches.
Regarding the Korea University Badminton Federation, Chairman Lee Hyung-gwan praises its members, saying that they are more united than any other organization. Federation executives and leaders also evaluate Chairman Lee Hyung-kwan as successfully leading the federation. We met with Chairman Lee Hyung-kwan, who is leading the federation in a unified manner.
Q. Please briefly introduce yourself for our readers.
A: Hello. My name is Hyungkwan Lee, and I run a small business that distributes fast food in Jeonbuk. I have been serving as the president of the Korea University Badminton Federation since 2021.
Q. How did your relationship with badminton begin?
A. In 1999, I got into badminton as a daily sports sport at the suggestion of my cousin. I was immersed in the charm of badminton and worked out. Then, I went to Jeongeup-dong Elementary School, an elite (school sports) training school in my area (Jeongeup, Jeollabuk-do), and found a place where young athletes exercise. When I saw this, I felt an unknown emotion stir up in me, and I took the opportunity to bring snacks to the athletes and go to the competition venue to cheer them on, which led to my exposure to the work of the local association (formerly the federation).
Q. How did you take on the position of president of the Korea University Badminton Federation?
A. While serving as director and vice president of the former Jeollabuk-do Badminton Association, I was building a relationship with four badminton friends (Kim Dong-moon, Ha Tae-kwon, Lee Deok-jun, and Hwang Seon-ho) who left a mark on Jeonbuk badminton as they were all of the same age, and was approached by coach Lee Deok-jun, the current coach of Kunsan National University. After receiving an offer to dream bigger, I decided to run for the position of president of the University Federation.
Q. What activities have you done as president of the University Federation, and what is the most memorable work (project) among them?
A. Although it is not a big activity, we are trying to do our best for the difficulties of coaches and the development of players, and our federation hosted the ‘National University Professors Badminton Competition’, which was previously hosted and operated by the National Professors’ Badminton Association, and received a great response. Although it ended as a one-time event in November 2022, the most memorable project was to create a venue for harmony between club members and players by holding the Korea University Badminton Federation Pro-Am Tournament. With the cooperation of university coaches, about 180 club members from each city and city across the country and male and female athletes from over 20 university teams participated, and the project was successfully completed to the satisfaction of both club members and athletes. It was the first time in Korea that more than 180 athletes enjoyed a meal in one space. It was a good project, and it was a meaningful time that I would definitely like to do again if the budget is secured.
Q. Were there any difficult or difficult problems to solve while leading the University Federation?
A. As someone who has experienced the Badminton Association, a recreational sport for pure hobbyists, and has also experienced the Elite Badminton Association, I think there was a lack of thorough preparation in the process of integrating recreational sports and elite sports. In order to integrate groups with different textures, I think it is necessary to understand each other’s positions and goals well to minimize confusion, but I think that as we tried to implement it first and then complement it, the differences in each other’s positions were large and there was a lot of confusion. Even after 7 years of integration, I don’t think things have improved much.
Under the pretext that sports should be separated from politics, an election is held to select a popularly elected sports president, but it has become a known fact that success or failure is more influenced by politics than before, and there is one person who embraces and represents both through the integration of recreational sports and elite sports. It is not easy to promote balanced development of both sides as we are in a situation where we have to serve as the president of , and it is regrettable that we have created an invisible political conflict not only within each party but also between lifestyle sports and elite sports for the sake of the election.
Q. How do you communicate with University Federation members?
A. We always have a meal with the federation leaders every time we compete, we have been holding meetings via video conference despite the COVID-19 situation, and we are also holding workshops after the season ends.
Q. How many college teams increased during your term as president? And what efforts are you making to create a team?
A. Six teams have been established: Gimcheon University men’s and women’s team, Kyungdong University men’s team, Daejeon University of Science and Technology women’s team and men’s team (scheduled to be founded in 2024), and Daegu University of Science and Technology men’s team, and we are hearing about some that are preparing to be founded. In fact, universities across the country are having difficulty recruiting students and are finding a breakthrough through the creation of teams. We think this is a good opportunity for badminton, and we will spare no effort in supporting the federation so that it can be operated without difficulty.
Q. The number of players joining professional teams has decreased for various reasons, including the performance of college players. It is no exaggeration to say that the situation is particularly serious for women’s college departments. What do you think about this?
A. When it comes to the professionalization of badminton and the popularity of corporate teams, I think it is inevitable that players go directly to professional teams after graduating from high school. I don’t have any complaints or worries because it is an unchangeable fact that only when the business team, which is the eldest type of elite sports, does well, will the school sports at the lower level be revitalized. I think we need to look at elite badminton as a whole because university development alone is not the solution. I believe that if our college leaders guide players who have not yet woken up and become unemployed by helping them unleash their potential and coaching them to become players who exercise diligently without giving up, there will definitely be more players who are looked at by corporate teams.
Q. There are various differences (personnel, finances, organization, etc.) between the member schools (teams) of the University Federation. Is there a way to reduce these gaps?
A. As I mentioned earlier regarding the creation of a team, many universities are competing to establish one, but it is true that it is difficult to expect ample financial support from the schools. One way to do this would be to not only hope that someone will support the school, but also to knock on the door of the local sports association or local government. At the federation level, we are working hard to provide some help to the team by receiving corporate sponsorship.
Q. While running the university federation, is there anything that makes you think, ‘This is doing really well’ or ‘Our federation is the best at this’?
A. I think what we are doing best is solidarity. Compared to other federations, the number of teams is reasonable and the entire team can meet frequently, so there are many opportunities to discuss each other’s thoughts and difficulties, which seems to promote good unity.
I believe that the federation is running well without any major difficulties because the university coaches and other leaders and teachers do not only think about their own schools but also have the magnanimity to look after difficult teams.
Q. What is it that makes you say, ‘Even if I can’t do anything else, I definitely want to do this’ during your tenure?
A. I would like to hold a competition with a prize money. I think motivation is important when exercising. I really want to hold a competition that can give me the will, passion, and motivation to work hard.
Q. Is there anything you would like to say to the University Federation members, university team officials, and players?
A. They say that if more than three people gather, politics is bound to get involved. In the end, I believe that individualism and selfishness can divide people, cause fights, and lead to catastrophe. I think the officials in our university federation are doing a very good job. If you just make small concessions like you have done so far and focus only on the players, I don’t think there will be anything left to hope for.
Lastly, we are proud of our college athletes!! I believe that if you run without giving up, you will achieve results that surpass yourself even if you are not necessarily first place.
Fighting college badminton today too!!
2024-01-03 11:23:24
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