Bobsledder Won Yoonjong Elected as Third Korean Member of IOC Athletes' Commission

Won tops vote among 11 candidates
To serve an eight-year term through the 2034 Utah Winter Olympics

Won Yoonjong, silver medalist in the four-man bobsleigh at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, has been elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission, becoming the third Korean ever and the first Korean athlete from a winter sport to do so.

On the 19th, at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics athletes' village in Milan, Italy, the results of the IOC Athletes' Commission election were announced, and Won was elected in first place among a total of 11 candidates. Out of 2,871 eligible voters, 2,393 took part in the ballot, and Won received 1,176 votes, the highest number of all candidates. In second place was Estonian biathlete Johanna Taliharm with 983 votes, and both of them were elected to the Athletes' Commission. Their term runs for eight years, until the 2034 Utah Winter Olympics.

On the 19th at the athlete village of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Won Yoonjong, after confirming his election in the IOC Athletes' Commission vote, posed for a commemorative photo with Johanna Taliharm, an Estonian biathlete who was also elected to the Athletes' Commission. Photo by Yonhap News

Won is the third Korean IOC Athletes' Commission member, following Moon Dae-sung, taekwondo gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympics, and Yoo Seung-min, men's singles table tennis gold medalist and current president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. In particular, Won is the first Korean athlete from a winter sport to join the IOC Athletes' Commission. Previously, among Korean winter sports athletes, former short track speed skater Jeon I-gyeong ran in the election at the Salt Lake City 2002 Games, and sled athlete Kang Gwang-bae did so at the Turin 2006 Games, but neither was elected.

With Won joining, the number of active Korean IOC members has increased to two. Kim Jae-youl, president of the International Skating Union (ISU), who was elected as an IOC member in 2023, was also elected to the IOC Executive Board at the IOC Session held just before the opening of the Olympics.

At the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, Won, as pilot of the Korean national team, won silver in the four-man bobsleigh, becoming the first Olympic medalist from Asia in this event. He competed at three consecutive Olympic Games, from Sochi 2014 through Beijing 2022, and has since served as an athletes' representative on the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) Athletes' Commission.

Immediately after his election, Won said, "I am grateful to all the athletes. During the campaign I met many athletes and truly realized how important their voices are," adding, "Based on the network I have built with winter sports athletes, I will now represent athletes from all sports." He went on to stress, "It is a great honor to stand here as a representative of the athletes. I will do my very best to speak up for athletes within the Olympic Movement."

The IOC Athletes' Commission was established at the time of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and has the same authority as regular IOC members, with the only difference being that its members are limited to an eight-year term. At the IOC Session, they exercise voting rights on key issues such as selecting the hosts of the Summer and Winter Olympics and deciding on Olympic sports. The Athletes' Commission is composed of up to 23 members, 12 of whom are elected by athlete vote, with the remaining 11 appointed by the IOC president.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.