Who is Ryu Seung-min, the table tennis legend now leading Korea’s Olympic future?

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Who is Ryu Seung-min, the table tennis legend now leading Korea’s Olympic future?

Ryu Seung-min celebrates his victory in the election for president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at the Olympic Hall in southern Seoul on Jan. 14. [NEWS1]

Ryu Seung-min celebrates his victory in the election for president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at the Olympic Hall in southern Seoul on Jan. 14. [NEWS1]

 
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) will enter a new era under the leadership of president-elect Ryu Seung-min, who defeated incumbent president Lee Kee-keung in the election on Tuesday. 
 

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Former Korea Table Tennis Association (KTTA) President Ryu will begin his four-year term as KSOC president on Jan. 28. During his term, he will oversee the Olympic committee’s selection of players and teams to represent Korea, while also focusing on raising funds to support athletes competing at the Olympics.
 
Ryu, 42, brings a wealth of administrative experience, having held multiple positions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other associations after his successful career as a table tennis player.
 
From being a table tennis legend to becoming KSOC president, who is Ryu, and what has his career been like since retiring from the sport?
 
 
Table tennis legend  
 
Ryu made his senior international debut at 18 during the Sydney Olympics in 2000, though he did not win a medal. However, he soon achieved international success, earning three medals — one gold in doubles, and two silvers in mixed doubles and the team event — at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.
 
Ryu carried that momentum to the Athens Olympics in 2004, where he won gold in singles, securing Korea’s first Olympic gold in the sport since 1988.  
 
Ryu Seung-min, left, celebrates after winning the men's singles table tennis final at the Olympics in Athens, Greece in 2004. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Ryu Seung-min, left, celebrates after winning the men's singles table tennis final at the Olympics in Athens, Greece in 2004. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]


He followed that success with more medals at the 2006 Asian Games, claiming silver in the team event and bronze in singles, before adding a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics.  
 
In the World Table Tennis Championships, Ryu won two silver and five bronze medals across team and singles events from 2001 to 2012.
 
In 2012, after winning a bronze medal at the World Championships, he competed in the London Olympics and won silver in the team event, his final Olympic medal. He retired from the sport in 2014 after a medal-rich career.
 
 
Postretirement days  
 
After retiring, Ryu initially did not pursue a career as a sports administrator, instead serving as an assistant coach with the Samsung Life Table Tennis Team in 2014 and later with the Korean national team.
 
His administrative career began in 2016 when he joined the IOC as its second Korean member, following Moon Dae-sung. He also served as a member and chair of the Athletes’ Commission of the Korean National Olympic Committee from 2016 to 2019. 
 
Ryu Seung-min when he was president of the Korea Table Tennis Association [KOREA TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION]

Ryu Seung-min when he was president of the Korea Table Tennis Association [KOREA TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION]

 
Ryu became president of the KTTA in 2019, holding the position until he resigned in September last year to run for KSOC president. 


 
What does Ryu’s term entail?  
 
During his four-year term, Ryu will oversee the Olympic committee’s selection of players and teams for upcoming international tournaments, including the 2026 Winter Olympics, 2026 Asian Games and 2028 LA Olympics. 
 
In a press conference last month, Ryu promised to take a leading role in developing Korean sports by improving the physical education system in schools and promoting more autonomy for local sports councils.
 
He emphasized the need to elevate athletes' independence and value, aiming to make changes in Korean sports through inclusive dialogue with athletes, coaches and sports officials.
 
Ryu has called for changes in response to Korea’s struggles in some sports on the international stage. Korea failed to qualify for every team sport except women’s handball at the Paris Olympics last summer. The men’s football team, in particular, missed out on the Olympics for the first time in 40 years after failing to secure a high enough finish in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which served as the qualification tournament.
 
Team Korea sent 142 athletes to Paris, the smallest delegation since 1975, though the country still achieved its joint-highest gold medal total in history with 13.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
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