Korean Sport & Olympic Committee Abolishes Lot Drawing for Presidential Electors... Expands Field Sportspeople Participation

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced that at 2:30 p.m. on the 16th, it held the "2026 Extraordinary General Assembly" in the Olympia Hall on the first floor of Olympic Parktel, where it unanimously passed an amendment to the articles of association aimed at improving the presidential election system.

The core of this amendment is the shift in the composition of the electoral college, the body that elects the president. Article 24 of the current articles of association stipulates that electors are to be selected by lot by the Election Management Committee. The new amendment abolishes this random selection process, instead stipulating that executives and delegates of member organizations, as well as athletes registered in the Sports Committee’s registration system (excluding recognized organizations), will serve as electors.

The purpose is to move away from a restricted, indirect voting structure and toward a system in which the will of field sportspeople is more directly reflected, thereby enhancing both the representativeness and democratic nature of the elections.

Yoo Seungmin, President of the Korean Sports Council, is speaking at the '2026 Temporary General Assembly of Delegates' held at the Olympic Parktel on the afternoon of the 16th. Korean Sports Council

This agenda item had been put on hold at the regular general assembly on February 27, following delegates’ comments that "further explanation is needed regarding the standard for elector composition and the phased transition approach."

Afterwards, the Committee conducted an official survey of its member organizations via correspondence between March and April, receiving feedback from 20 organizations. It also held a total of six meetings, including public hearings, briefing sessions, and discussion meetings between March and May to gather opinions from the field.

Taking these into account, a supplementary proposal was prepared, followed by five additional public hearings and briefing sessions, and two more rounds of explanation via correspondence. The revised amendment was then deliberated by the 16th Board of Directors on June 25 before being reintroduced at the current general assembly.

The amended Article 24 of the articles of association will be implemented from the 2028 Regular General Assembly to prevent confusion in election management. As such, the new system will first apply to the 43rd presidential election of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, scheduled for 2029.

While the fundamental principle of expanding the electoral college will also be applied to member organizations, specific details such as elector composition and voting mechanisms will be determined separately, taking into account the unique characteristics of each sport and region.

Member sport organizations will implement the new system starting from the first presidential election held after the 2028 Regular General Assembly. Member city and provincial sports committees will apply it from the simultaneous elections of the fourth popularly elected term in 2030. However, if a member organization determines that an earlier implementation is necessary, it may consult with the Committee to bring forward the introduction of the new rules.

Yoo Seungmin, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, stated, "This amendment to the articles of association is intended to allow more sportspeople to participate in the presidential election process, thereby enhancing the representativeness and fairness of the election." He added, "We will continue to incorporate a wide range of opinions from the sports community to build a fair and transparent election system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.