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Olympic bobsleigh silver medalist Won Yun-jong campaigns to join IOC Athletes' Commission

Published: 01 Feb. 2026, 13:23

Won Yun-jong, a silver medalist in the four-man competition in bobsleigh at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, poses for a photo at a venue for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. [KOREAN SPORTS & OLYMPIC COMMITTEE]

Won Yun-jong, an Olympic bobsleigh silver medalist, has started campaigning at venues for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics to be elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission, he said on Saturday.

“I’m interacting with athletes on site,” Won said, according to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. Korea's main delegation for the Games arrived in Italy on Saturday.

“Some countries’ athletes haven’t moved into the Olympic Village yet because the Games haven’t started, but I plan to meet them one by one in person,” he added.

Won competed as the pilot of Korea’s bobsleigh team at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, during which he won silver in the men’s four-man event. He later retired from competing and gained administrative experience by working with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation Athletes’ Commission.

Athletes’ Commission members serve eight-year terms and hold the same status as full IOC members. Korea has previously produced two IOC Athletes' Commission members: Moon Dae-sung, who won gold in taekwondo at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Ryu Seung-min, who won gold in table tennis at the same Games.

A total of 11 candidates are campaigning at the Milan Cortina Games. The two with the most votes — from ballots cast by athletes from each national delegation — will win seats on the commission.

Won previously spoke about his campaign at a send-off ceremony for the Korean team.

“It feels different from experiencing the Olympics as an athlete,” he said. “As a competitor, the pressure was heavy, but now I’m excited because I can meet athletes and hear their voices on the ground.”

He then said he planned to travel to Milan via Switzerland, where a cross-country skiing World Cup event is being held.

“I’m planning to bring three pairs of shoes,” Won said. “I’ll keep running until they’re completely worn out.”

Voting in the Athletes' Commission election will run through Feb. 18 local time, with results to be announced the following day.

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.
BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]