Chairman Cho at the vanguard of sports diplomacy

By Kim So-hyun

Ever since he took the helm of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee in 2009, Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho has been at the forefront of Korea’s sports diplomacy.
Even after PyeongChang won the right in July last year to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Cho continued to contribute towards achieving world peace through sports.
Cho was named an international ambassador for the Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based organization, in 2010 in recognition of his efforts to promote world peace through sports.
He sponsored the 2011 Qatar Peace and Sports Table Tennis Cup in November, in which players from countries in dispute such as India and Pakistan played alongside each other. South and North Korea paired in a single team for the first time in 20 years.
With his sharp business mind as the chief executive of a global airliner and commitment to internationalization of Korean sports, Cho is sponsoring figure skating star Kim Yuna, swimmer Park Tae-hwan and gymnast Sohn Yeon-jae, as well as IOC member and taekwondo star Moon Dae-sung.
For further development of the Korean sports sector, Cho has called for the need to foster young athletes and sports specialists such as coaches and sports journalists through long-term programs, strengthen cooperation with international sports organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, and expand global exchange programs for athletes and coaches.
The Korean Olympic Committee recently named Cho as its vice chairman, citing the need to successfully host the PyeongChang Olympic Games, bolster international cooperation and invigorate winter sports as the reasons.
Having served as the president of the Korea Table Tennis Association since 2008, Cho was appointed East Asia regional vice president of the Asia Table Tennis Union in November 2009.
Last month, Hanjin Group’s Korean Air decided to sponsor the 2014 Incheon Asian Games as a prestige partner.
As the top-level sponsor, Korean Air is building a marina for yachts and a hotel for the participants, in addition to providing air tickets and luggage-related services.
In a bid to fulfill its social responsibility by sponsoring unpopular sports, Korean Air runs a professional men’s volleyball team named the Korean Air Jumbos, a women’s table tennis team and a men's speed skating team.
Korean Air also launched an ice skating team in Jeju early this year as part of efforts to promote winter sports.
When bidding for PyeongChang’s right to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Cho made full use of Hanjin Group’s global network and his personal connections.
Cho’s hiring of international experts to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of PyeongChang, draw up bidding and public relations strategies, and produce promotional videos also helped PyeongChang win the hearts of IOC members.
He is not only contributing to Korea's sports development but also playing the role of a bridge linking the nation and IOC.
(ssophie@heraldcorp.com">ophie@heraldcorp.com)