Korea`s sports diplomacy has gained momentum after business tycoon Lee Kun-hee was reinstated as a member of International Olympic Committee.
Sports experts here said Lee`s reinstatement will help the South Korean alpine city of PyeongChang promote a vigorous campaign to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Lee`s comeback to the key international sports stage was made ahead of the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
He left for the Olympic host city on Feb. 8 to watch Korean athletes` games
Former Samsung Group chairman Lee voluntarily gave up his IOC rights after being indicted in 2008 in a financial and tax evasion case, which caused him to step down as head of the largest conglomerate in Korea.
But the government`s decision to pardon him cleared the way for his return to the IOC, which was made in an attempt to boost PyeongChang`s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
"We are delighted with the news." Korean Olympic Committee official Park Yang-chun told reporters. "We are very pleased with him being reinstated."
The bid will be the third for PyeongChang, after trying for 2010 and 2014 Games, which went to Vancouver and Sochi, respectively. Despite receiving more votes in the preliminary round for both Games, PyeongChang ended up losing as voters for the eliminated candidates sided with its adversary in the final round. The loss to Sochi in 2007 was especially bitter, as the Korean candidate had been considered the front runner.
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Just after the Russian city`s win, various speculations popped out, but most of them focused on the heavy influence of then Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In this perspective, Lee`s return to his post in IOC means a lot for Korea`s campaign to host the Winter Games. The IOC has 108 members with the authority to choose which city will host the Games. Although hit once had powerful voice in the committee with three members, Korea has lost much of that influence as former members Kim Un-yong and Park Yong-sung resigned in 2004 and 2007. To Lee`s resignation in 2008, Korea lost one more ballot, only having one member in the committee, Moon Dae-sung, a former taekwondo gold medalist who was given his post in 2008.
Currently Munich, Germany and Annecy, France have launched their efforts as candidate cities for the 2018 Games and both countries have three and two members in IOC, respectively.
"While it`s too early to say what kind of effect Mr. Lee`s pardon would have on Korea`s bid, the move certainly won`t hurt the country`s 2018 chances. Given that the IOC is a club of individuals, if one of their friends are back in action, it certainly won`t be seen as a negative." said Michael Payne, a former marketing director at the IOC. International press have shown similar responses stating that Lee`s reinstatement will fuel the country`s full-scale effort to host the Games and raise chances to win the bid. As Samsung is a top sponsor of the IOC until 2016, and Lee still owns a 3.4 percent stake in Samsung Electronics, his return into the Olympic fold will boost Korea`s chances of winning the bid for 2018, according to Reuters.
At this point, Annecy, Munich, and PyeongChang have declared their intentions to bid for the 2018 Winter Games. The candidates will submit a reply to a detailed IOC questionnaire by March 15. The IOC will decide by June whether to include all three candidates in the final evaluation process, and finally name the host at a committee session in Durban, South Africa in July 2011.
(syracusa0420@naver.com)

By Nam Won-chul