Former national yachtsman Cho Sung-min is running for a position on the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Athletes' Commission.
The Korean Sports Council announced on August 31 that Cho has been selected as a candidate for the OCA Athletes' Commission election, which will take place during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The OCA, established in 1982 in New Delhi, India, is an international sports organization composed of National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from 45 Asian countries.
The OCA Athletes' Commission election will be held from September 19 to October 4 during the 20th Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, with voting scheduled from September 20 to October 2. Four athletes will be elected: one each from West Asia (female), Central Asia (male), East Asia (male), and Southeast Asia (female).
Cho, representing South Korea in the East Asia male category, will compete against Japan's Naoto Tobe and Taiwan's Chien Chuan-yang (both in athletics). The OCA officially announced the list of candidates, including Cho, on August 26.
Cho is a veteran of South Korean yachting, having participated in four Asian Games from 2002 to 2022. He won a bronze medal in the open match race at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, a silver medal in the open match race at the 2014 Incheon Games, and a bronze medal in the mixed 470 event at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. He also competed in the men's 470 event at the 2012 London and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Currently an active athlete, Cho has served on the Korean Sports Council's Athletes' Commission and the Korean Yachting Association's Athletes' Commission since 2025 and has experience coaching athletes both domestically and internationally.
In his campaign, Cho has pledged to strengthen communication between athletes and the OCA, improve athlete rights, welfare, and competition environments, and expand networks among Asian athletes.
Cho emphasized, "Based on my experiences across various sports and international competitions, I will listen to the diverse voices of athletes from different countries and disciplines and faithfully convey them in the OCA's policy and decision-making processes."
The Korean Sports Council stated, "As an active athlete, Cho can directly represent the voices from the field, and with his extensive experience in international competitions and as an athlete representative, we expect him to contribute to the enhancement of Asian athletes' rights."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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