"89% overwhelming support + first-ever re-election" interview with Chung Jin-wan, chairman of the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled, "I'm still hungry."

"89% overwhelming support + first-ever re-election" interview with Chung Jin-wan, chairman of the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled, "I'm still hungry."

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"I'm still hungry."

Chung Jin-wan (59), chairman of the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled, focused on a heavier responsibility than the joy of his first re-election. In the 6th presidential election held on the 16th, Chung received 57 votes and 89 percent of the 64 votes. After being elected as the 5th president of the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled in 2021, following the secretary-general of the Chungnam Sports Council for the Disabled, the director of the Sports Department of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the head of the Icheon Sports Village of the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled, he wrote another history of being the first re-election president in 2021. Following Ha Hyung-joo, chairman of the Seoul Olympic Memorial National Sports Promotion Foundation, and Yoo Seung Min, who took office earlier, Chung was re-elected, opening a new era for all three major sports organizations in Korea led by athletes-turned-chairman.
"I think the efforts made by athletes and administrators to listen to the voices of the field and reflect them in their work and projects were evaluated positively," Chairman Chung told Sports Chosun on June 22. "While overwhelming support is a high expectation, they gave us a great sense of responsibility to do better," adding, "As Coach Guus Hiddink said, "I am still hungry." Only 50 percent of the goals that he aimed to achieve in his previous term were achieved. With the mindset of starting anew in his four-year term, he seeks to persuade the government and achieve his desired goals through collaboration with each sports organization."

During his previous four-year term in office, Korea's para-athletes sports saw remarkable growth under Chairman Chung. With the introduction of a system that combines sports science, many newcomers have been discovered, and the result was Asia's fourth-largest after China, Japan and Thailand at the Paris Paralympics. During his four-year term in office, Chairman Chung prioritizes the establishment of a sports medicine specialized in order to systematize the training and development system for athletes with disabilities. Another goal of the project is to expand sports facilities such as Bandabi Sports Center where disabled people and non-disabled people can socialize together.

"We need facilities to implement sports programs and deploy leaders. However, there is only one Bandabi Sports Center in the Seoul metropolitan area due to high land costs," Chung said. "We are trying to persuade the city government and district chiefs to boost sports." "The Icheon Sports Center is so cold in winter due to its location that athletes' training is limited to indoor weighting," Chung said. "We need to build a sports center with indoor tracks and other measures to utilize Bandabi Sports Center in each city and province in the long run."

The Korea Sports Association for the Disabled celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025. "Compared to 20 years ago, the biggest change I have seen is interest in. The issue of rewards and pension equity for athletes with disabilities has also improved," Chung said. "More attention should be paid to improving awareness of sports for the disabled. Not every administration can be led by the government and the government. We want to create an opportunity for the public to experience sports for the disabled and to engage in social contribution activities through sports for the disabled in the private sector, including companies," Chung said. "The most enviable organization is the Korea Archery Association (Chairman Chung Eui-sun). If you take charge of sports at a large company and nurture them, you will be able to secure much better performance and stable finances," Chung said. "Some entrepreneurs are serving as chairmen of sports organizations for the disabled. I want to contact as many entrepreneurs as possible during my four-year term."

Chung's ultimate goal is to break down the barrier between disabled and non-disabled people through sports. "Woonglim Sports is the first sports that I have ever created since I took the helm of the sports association for the fifth time. Since I was a staff member of the sports association for the disabled, I thought that a place where disabled and non-disabled people can live and enjoy together as a citizen of the Republic of Korea is created. When I work with athletes, I realize that this person has such a disability, but there is nothing special about it. If everything is harmonized, there is no need to improve awareness of the disabled," Chung said. "If students with disabilities and non-disabled students study and exercise together from an early age, they will naturally become friends, and if they grow up, they will feel free as memories of the past extend to social life." There are also times when disabled people also need to be considerate of non-disabled people. It is a concept of mutual respect. I think this can be achieved through sports."

The Seoul Forest Sports Festival, in which disabled and non-disabled students become one, is the closest stage to Chung's dream. "I love the Seoul Forest Sports Festival," Chung said. "It is a stage where students with disabilities and non-disabled students mingle with each other and enjoy sports. The Seoul Forest Sports Festival should be expanded not only to Seoul but also to 17 cities and provinces. During his term in office, we will work with the Ministry of Education and meet with superintendents to ensure that integrated sports such as the Seoul Forest Sports Festival can take place in each region." 스포츠토토

The 1988 Seoul Paralympics is considered the beginning of the Paralympic movement around the world. Through the regular general meeting of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to be held in Seoul in September, the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled and Chairman Chung are dreaming of becoming a global leader in sports for the disabled in Korea. Chairman Chung said, "Because the history of sports for the disabled is not long and there is no systematic system, seniors have not been able to lead juniors. One of the reasons why I wanted to become the president was that I wanted to show that I can become an administrator after retirement like myself," he said. "Just as Won Yoo-min was elected as an IPC athlete committee, I think my last role is to open the way for international activities as a leader, referee, and administrator." "We have advanced our professional international personnel to the Asian Paralympic Committee as vice chairman and five fields. I have won four terms in the executive committee so far, but I am also cautious about whether we should go beyond that," he said. "There are quite a few experts in Korea in the Ministry of Gyeonggi Development, the Department of Sports Sciences, and the Grade Classification Committee. With this IPC General Assembly as an opportunity, I have a desire that the Korea Sports Council for the Disabled should become an organization that actually leads international sports for the disabled."

From athletes to administrators to the pinnacle of Korea's Paralympic Games, it has never been an easy road. Chung said, "Actually, I didn't want to retire. Even though I held the world record, Paralympic Games are not limited by age. However, people around me said that I should be able to include voices from the field in my administration