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Sports bodies need safeguards against popularity contests in elections

Published: 16 Jan. 2026, 00:04

Kim Ki-han

The author is a professor of physical education at Seoul National University.

The Korea Sports and Olympic Committee is in the process of revising its election system for sports governing bodies. The issue has drawn attention following a recent National Assembly public hearing and remarks made during a presidential policy briefing, where President Lee Jae Myung called for democratic safeguards to ensure that “no one becomes president for life.” The direction of reform now under discussion will shape how leaders of Korea’s sports organizations are chosen.

Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee, responds to a question from President Lee Jae Myung during a ministerial policy briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong Convention Center on Dec. 16, 2025. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Under the current system, the committee president is selected through an indirect election by an electoral college of about 2,000 members. Proposed changes would move to a direct election involving more than 300,000 athletes and sports professionals, along with the introduction of mobile voting. In terms of stated purpose, broadening participation is a reasonable goal. What requires closer scrutiny is whether to apply the principle of equal voting, under which every vote is counted the same, and the top vote-getter wins. The real challenge is designing a system that selects the most appropriate leader, not merely the most popular one.

The committee occupies a unique institutional position. It is a public body that receives government support while also serving as Korea’s nationally recognized Olympic committee under the International Olympic Committee. Unlike most public agencies, whose heads are appointed by the government, the committee elects its president internally to respect the autonomy guaranteed to national Olympic committees by the Olympic Charter. Any reform should therefore ensure that the winner can perform two roles at once: representing Korea in the international Olympic movement and leading a publicly funded domestic institution.

Korea’s Constitution mandates direct and equal elections for the president and National Assembly members, but it does not impose equal voting on all direct elections. The reason is concern over unintended consequences. One such risk is distorted representation caused by large imbalances among voter groups. In the context of the sports committee, disparities across member organizations and voter categories are significant and cannot be ignored.

Disparities among sports federations are particularly striking. Data released at a recent policy forum show that the top five sports, including football and badminton, account for roughly 65 percent of total voting power. If a simple one-person, one-vote system were applied, the election could effectively become a contest decided by those few sports, raising the question of whether the result would truly reflect the interests of the broader sports community.

The committee president’s role as head of the national Olympic committee also makes the composition of member organizations relevant. About 43 percent of affiliated federations are non-Olympic sports, such as jokgu. Along with 17 provincial sports associations and 228 city and district bodies, these organizations form a nationwide network. It is worth asking whether simply aggregating votes from non-Olympic organizations is the best way to select a leader who will represent Korea on the international Olympic stage.

Voter categories also matter. The number of executives, delegates, athletes and coaches tends to be relatively stable. By contrast, recreational sports club membership is comparatively easy to register. Under a strict equal-vote system, future committee presidents could be chosen largely by recreational sports participants. Membership standards can be unclear, and participants may have a limited understanding of sports administration or policy. If candidates begin competing to recruit supporters en masse, elections could become chaotic.

Equal voting also increases the risk of elections turning into popularity contests. When all votes are simply added together, candidates may focus less on policy expertise or long-term vision and more on name recognition or short-term appeals. Such dynamics encourage populism rather than informed decision-making.

President Lee Jae Myung and First Lady Kim Hea Kyung welcome the athletes’ delegation as it enters the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Oct. 17, 2025. From left are Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee; President Lee; First Lady Kim; and Choi Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism. [YONHAP]

How should reform proceed? Direct elections, mobile voting and equal voting should be considered separately. Mobile voting, if technically secure, could lower participation barriers for voters in regional areas or training abroad and make direct elections more realistic. But adopting a direct election does not require adopting equal voting. Equal voting can amplify problems such as excessive mobilization, populism and distorted representation.

Even with a direct election, a more balanced approach would be to weight votes by type of member organization and voter category before determining the final result. Differences among sports, the role of Olympic-related federations and the weight of regional bodies should all be reflected. In particular, the proportion assigned to recreational sports voters should be set with caution.

Finding the optimal balance will not be easy. That is precisely why reform should not be rushed. Careful analysis and deliberation are essential. What ultimately matters is not speed, but building a system that consistently selects leaders with the expertise and leadership suited to the position.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.