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Korean Olympic chief to meet IOC head over Olympic bid

Published: 21 Mar. 2025, 09:30 Updated: 21 Mar. 2025, 09:46

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Ryu Seung-min speaks during the KSOC's general assembly at Olympic Parktel in Seoul on Feb. 28. [NEWS1]

Ryu Seung-min, head of the Korean Olympic body, will meet with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach next month to express Korea's drive to host the 2036 Summer Games.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Thursday that Ryu will meet with Bach at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 8.

Ryu, elected as KSOC president in January, was an IOC member from 2016 to 2024, in his capacity as a member of the Athletes' Commission voted on by fellow Olympians.

"In his meeting, KSOC President Ryu will strongly express Korea's intent to host the 2036 Summer Olympics," the KSOC said in a statement.

North Jeolla was chosen over Seoul on Feb. 28 as the Korean candidate for the 2036 Olympic bid. The KSOC said officials from the North Jeolla provincial government and the central government will accompany Ryu to Switzerland.

"At the meeting, Ryu will highlight that Korea's preparations for the bid are going smoothly and that North Jeolla is putting together a bid strategy in line with the IOC's push for sustainable operations," the KSOC added. "He will also point out that Korea can play an important role in realizing the value of peace and acceptance through sport, and that Korea will work closely with the IOC going forward."

A task force put together for the bid, made up of officials from the government, the KSOC and North Jeolla Province, held its first meeting on March 12.

North Jeolla Gov. Kim Kwan-young, center, and officials at the provincial government celebrate after the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee decided the province as the country's candiate city to bid for the 2036 Olympics at Olympic Parktel in Jamsil, southern Seoul, on Feb. 28. [NORTH JEOLLA PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT]

Seoul hosted the only Summer Games in Korea so far in 1988. Korea will try to become the seventh country — joining the United States, France, Britain, Australia, Japan and Greece — to stage multiple Summer Olympics. The country held the Winter Olympics in 2018 in the eastern province of Gangwon, with PyeongChang holding snow and sliding events and Gangneung hosting ice events.

The IOC has done away with a direct vote by its members with multiple candidate cities in the race.

Instead, the IOC's Future Host Commission screens potential host cities and makes a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board, which then decides whether to open a "targeted dialogue" with one or more "preferred hosts."

During the targeted dialogue phase, each preferred host must fill out the IOC's Future Host Questionnaire and provide guarantees that back up its bid submission.

The Executive Board will decide whether to put one or more preferred hosts up for a vote by IOC members.

Seoul pursued a joint bid with Pyongyang for the 2032 Summer Olympics but the IOC chose Brisbane as its partner for the targeted dialogue in February 2021. Brisbane then garnered support from 72 out of 80 IOC delegates in a yes-or-no vote to win the bid five months later.

Yonhap