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Yoon Kang-ro, right, shakes hands with former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch in a meeting in May in Barcelona, Spain.
/ Korea Times File | By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter
His clothes are often decorated with the Olympic emblem. His mind is filled with Olympic memories. And his words resonate with the Olympic message of building friendship and peace through sports.
For more than a quarter century, Yoon Kang-Ro, affectionately known to his friends as ''Rocky,'' has worked as a sports diplomat, while helping the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a wide variety of roles. He's met with foreign officials, inspected facilities, given lectures, raised questions about possible problems and worked to find solutions in an effort to make the Olympics as successful as possible.
When South Korea has needed a representative for Olympic functions in faraway areas of the world, Yoon was there.
When Seoul emerged as a sports mecca by hosting the 1988 Summer Olympics, Yoon was there.
When PyeongChang has made bids to bring Korea its first ever Winter Olympics, Yoon was there.
''The Olympic Games are about uniting the youth throughout the world in one place, '' said Yoon, who has taken part in 12 Olympics dating back to the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games. ''We can bring people together in peace and friendship, and this will make the world a better place.''
From the start of his life, Yoon seemed destined to be part of the Olympics. He was born in Incheon on July 23, 1956 ― the 62nd anniversary of the day the IOC was founded.
Growing up in Incheon ― the city that will host the 2014 Asian Games ― he enjoyed exercising, particularly taekwondo, gymnastics and jogging.
His introduction to sports diplomacy came when he was a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Because of his ability to speak different languages ― he 's now fluent in Korean, English and French and can speak some Spanish ― he was selected as a translator for the Asian Handball Coaches Seminar in 1977 in Seoul.
''That ignited my way to all the international sports events in Korea, especially in Seoul,'' said Yoon, who later studied translation between English and French as well as Business Administration at graduate schools.
After working at a variety of other international sporting events in Korea, Yoon joined the KOC in 1982 ― one year after Seoul was selected to be the host city of the 1988 Summer Games. He's since spent more than two decades as an official delegate for the KOC, and has served as the acting Chef de Mission for the Korean delegation at 10 Olympics.
During his work as a delegate, Yoon has logged more than 2,000,000 airline miles (about 3,220,000 kilometers), while traveling to international sports affairs. His work has produced a wide array of accomplishments, which range from strengthening relationships with foreign officials to witnessing the signing of a major television deal between NBC and the Seoul Olympic Organization Committee (SLOOC) for the 1988 Summer Games to making sure kimchi is offered at cafeterias in Olympic Villages to getting caffeine taken off the list of banned substances in Olympic drug testing.
''If you're familiar to others and make your presence available to people, they recognize it,'' Yoon said was one of his secrets to successful diplomacy.
For Yoon, the Seoul Olympics was an especially meaningful event. Having served as a key member of its organization committee, he said those Summer Games not only built national pride, but raised the expectations of Korea's sports programs and improved conditions for the country's future athletes.
''There is a good legacy from the Seoul Olympic Games,'' Yoon said. ''We prepared some ground for the Korean athletes of the future.''
Yoon later worked as a member of the IOC Evaluation Commission for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Beijing. While there have been human rights concerns surrounding the Chinese city stemming from the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, he pointed out that the committee is not supposed to take political matters into account when evaluating potential Olympic hosts. Yoon said he's convinced Beijing has the focus and resources to make the Games successful.
''Beijing is a government-driven games,'' Yoon said. ''I think Beijing will be the best Olympics ever.''
Yoon is also working to bring another Olympics to Korea. He was the Secretary General of the PyeongChang bid committee when the Gangwon Province resort town made attempts to host the Winter Games in 2010 and 2014, but was passed up for different cities on both occasions. With PyeongChang announcing it will make a third Olympic bid by going after the 2018 Games, Yoon is likely to play a key role on the committee once again.
''Nothing is a sure thing until they open the envelope,'' Yoon said. ''We have to be humble and try to work hard every moment until the IOC announces the results.''
In addition to his official Olympic work, Yoon is trying to pass his knowledge of the Olympic Movement and sports diplomacy on to others, particularly young people in Korea. He's opened the Pyeongsan Sports Museum near his home on the outskirts of Seoul. He's given lectures at universities, and he's written a book about his Olympic experiences titled ''When Sport Meets the World Over Five Rings,'' which has been translated into multiple languages.
Yoon also has plans to open an academy of sports diplomacy.
''Even in my dreams, I'm talking with someone about sports,'' he said.
''My policy is whoever needs my help I'll run and help them. This is my mission.''
jonsanfilippo@gmail.com |
