South Korean volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung has entered the race to become the country's candidate for International Olympic Committee (IOC) membership, a source said Thursday.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) recently sent memos to national sports federations on opening the application process for the candidate for IOC Athletes' Commission membership.
The source said Kim threw her hat into the ring, setting up a competition with two other Olympic athletes: pistol shooter Jin Jong-oh and taekwondo practitioner Lee Dae-hoon.
The KSOC will endorse one candidate for the election for the Athletes' Commission, which will take place during the Paris Summer Olympics next year.
The candidate must have competed at the previous edition of the Olympics or must have qualified for the Olympics in the same year as the election.
Kim, Jin and Lee competed in the previous Summer Olympics in Tokyo two years ago.
Kim, who also represented South Korea at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, is the only one of the trio without an Olympic medal. She took South Korea to the semifinals in both 2012 and 2021, and the country lost in the bronze medal match at both competitions. Kim announced her retirement from international play after the Tokyo Games.
Jin is the most successful individual shooter in Olympic history with four gold medals and two silver medals. Three of those gold medals came in the men's 50-meter pistol event, making him the first shooter to win three consecutive gold medals in a single event.
Lee competed at three consecutive Olympic Games from 2012 to 2021, winning silver in 2012 and bronze in 2016 in different weight classes.
Elected by fellow Olympians, Athletes' Commission members serve an eight-year term and have the same functions and responsibilities as other members.
Currently, Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Olympic men's singles table tennis champion for South Korea, is the first vice chair of the commission. Ryu was elected to the commission in 2016 and his term ends next year.
Prior to Ryu, the 2004 Olympic men's taekwondo gold medalist Moon Dae-sung served on the Athletes' Commission from 2008 to 2016.
Source: Yonhap News Agency