Yonsei News

Former Swimmer, Current International Sports Administrator

The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, held for two weeks from July 23, has lighted up the passion within people's hearts amid the gloomy trend of the global pandemic. The Olympics is a stage where the world's best athletes compete for glory and a quadrennial global festival for sports lovers worldwide. The Olympics also holds significance for the international sports figures, as it serves as an opportunity for them to come together to share their views on various sports issues, discuss policies and make changes. The Olympics is a venue for global sports exchanges.

A Yonsei alumnus Lim Sang-ah, who works at the International Sports Strategy Foundation (ISF), South Korea's only international sports organization, is a sports administrator who plans projects across various domestic and international sports stages, including conferences and sports exchanges, while simultaneously taking charge of administration and related supports to ensure these events can be facilitated without fail. Currently, she focuses on planning, executing, and supporting various sports projects to strengthen the nation's international sports capabilities. From a swimmer who once dreamt of the Olympic stage as a member of the national team to a global sports administrator who supports the stages of international sports, Lim's journey can be described as a series of challenges and endless persistence second to none.

A Talented Swimmer: From a Professional to a Student

Lim was a swimmer until her junior year in university. She started swimming as a child; she received constant offers to be a professional swimmer since she was young and stood out among her peers. Though she picked up swimming as a hobby, receiving such recognition naturally led her to a path of professional swimming, officially beginning her career in the fourth grade of elementary school. As she pursued her path with passion, she was listed as a reserve member of the national team in 2004 after attaining excellent results at the National Sports Festival while attending a physical education high school. With the dream of competing in the Olympics as a national team member like other athletes around her, she joined the "Seogwipo City" semi-professional swimming team after graduating from high school to build her professional career. As she had been diligently balancing her studies and swimming as a student, her choice to join the swimming team at the expense of university enrollment was to have additional time to prepare for the opportunity to study at the university she desired to go to.

"At first, I thought about going to college after graduating high school. I wanted to go to the university where I really wanted to go. Especially since I saw myself becoming a coach in the field after my career as a player, I aimed for the department of physical education. Still unfortunately, I failed to get accepted, which brought me to be in a business team for a year, during which I could also prepare for the university entrance exam again. Being in the semi-professional team did not have any difference compared to my student days when it came to the obligation to produce results, but being a professional required a different mindset. As I managed to attain the third place in the adult women's division at the National Sports Festival and the outcome of the entrance exam turned out great, I was able to enter Yonsei University, the university of my dream."

After admission, she enjoyed every moment of her campus life that was free, flexible, and lively. Contrary to popular belief that "sports departments" has a strict atmosphere under a hierarchical structure, there was strong respect between seniors and juniors. It allowed her to enjoy her life on campus to the fullest, with events like the festivals in May and the Yon-Ko Games in fall being some of the most memorable ones. The sense of trust and reassurance among Lim and her peers that they can rely on one another still serves as a great source of strength today.

Towards the Second Dream She Found

Lim decided to retire at a young age in her junior year in university. It was when it became increasingly difficult to maintain her performance as a professional swimmer. She quickly acknowledged the reality and searched for a new career path. Though she also worked as a coach for elementary school swimmers while studying at Yonsei, it was not a career that she was to die for. With immense attention to the issue of international sports diplomacy during then, she gradually became interested in pursuing a career as a sports administrator.

"Based on my previous career as a professional swimmer, I thought it would be good to pursue sports administration as my job. I was well aware of what kind of support the professional players needed and what I needed to improve if I had the authority to make practical changes. To become a sports administrator, I had to do a lot of research, and there was a need to build up necessary experiences that I lacked. There were endless things to do, ranging from basic administration knowledge to essential skills in foreign languages. However, there was selfless support from many professors who would recommend various education programs relevant to my interest. I would attend every program and seminar that would help me achieve my new dream."

But the more she prepared, the more desperate she became for other diverse and practical experiences in international sports administration.

"When I was taking a foreign language course, I looked for a government-funded program related to my desired career. It was then that I found out about the International Olympic Academy (IOA), an IOC-certified educational institution. I immediately applied for the youth representative selection. The program brings together young representatives from all over the world, preparing for sports administrators for about two weeks at the Olympia Academy in Greece. I was fortunate."

Lim expanded her horizons by interacting with numerous young representatives with similar dreams.

"There were many friends from other countries chose to change their careers to sports from a totally different field. There was even a medical major. I always had the idea that it was natural for me to pursue the sports field since I used to be a sports player. After hearing the stories of representatives from diverse backgrounds gathered here under "sports" as a common denominator, I realized that my vision was too narrow."

After completing her training at the IOC Olympic Academy, Lim was greeted with many opportunities to build her career. She applied for the "Next Generation Talent Training Foreign Language Education" program, which had an agreement with the Korea Foundation for the Next Generation Sports Talent under the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. The program offered opportunities for shortlisted candidates to take foreign language programs as well as graduate school classes at universities, and she was able to study at the University of Tennessee for seven months. During her stay, she could take courses of interest while interacting with foreign friends. She recalls being shocked at how common sports culture lies within their lives, and she enjoyed participating in sports events with them.

"I used to go for basketball or American football games during my time at the University of Tennessee; these games were not special just for students, but also the locals who would also come to the games to cheer for the teams, even though they were not professional leagues. With the role of locals not just limited to spectators but also volunteers in the games, these games were just like local festivals. In South Korea, it is common to purchase tickets to go for specific matches, but in America, NBA, for instance, there was a deep sense of affection for sports, with many willing to purchase years of season tickets to attend every game. It was not a special occasion to see sports games; it has become a part of their lives."

Achievements and Fulfilling Moments as a Sports Administrator

With various training education courses abroad and in Korea, Lim Sang-ah spent two years building up precious experiences to prepare for her dream after graduation. Ready to dive into the career in which she could apply the knowledge from her experiences so far, she applied for an internship at the International Sports Foundation, which is currently known as the International Sports Strategy Foundation. During her internship, she was finally able to work on practical sports, administration, and diplomacy issues. She recalled herself being "lucky" this time again, but when taking a closer look, she was always ready to seize the opportunities that came to her.

ISF is a non-profit foundation established to strengthen the nation's international sports capabilities. The foundation pursues nongovernmental diplomacy to develop an international sports network as a core business. Based on this, it serves as a global sports information platform that quickly acquires, analyzes, processes, and distributes issues or information from the international sports community. ISF also works on job fairs and conferences that provide job information for international sports affairs. With IOC athlete representative Seung Min Ryu to head the foundation, it plays a pivotal role in establishing a global network and facilitating communication and information exchanges.

During her internship at ISF, where she accumulated practical knowledge on sports administration while attending various international forums, Lim's conviction to become an official sports administrator became even more vital. The career, which began as an intern, leaped forward to the present day, where she became the planning director. She manages the progress status of respective projects and communicates with public institutions. So far, she has participated in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, and the 2019 Gwangju Swimming World Championships to provide administrative support. Also, she has planned a wide range of conferences and forums promoting international exchanges. Having spent considerable time immersed in work, Lim Sang-ah shows pride in her life as a sports administrator.

"The most attractive aspect of being a sports administrator is the job of planning projects in areas you deem necessary. The entire process of materializing the projects that began as an idea into a practical business operation gives a tremendous sense of fulfillment. The results and transitions through such efforts face many difficulties and obstacles in the process, but they are the most attractive ad rewarding part of my job as a sports administrator."

The highlight of Lim's career was during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. All the employees within the foundation were dispatched to their respective fields after signing an MOU with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, and Lim was posted to the short-track speed skating competition department. There was a strong sense of pride and fulfillment in contributing to the overall success of the Winter Olympics as she provided on-site support throughout the games. Recognizing the immense contribution of the foundation, the ISF was awarded the Presidential Commendation for the success of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics, and she had the honor of being the recipient of the Minister's Commendation. It was a valuable experience.

With the COVID-19 pandemic as a massive obstacle to on-site support provision for the recent Tokyo Summer Olympics, the ISF made extensive efforts to provide online support throughout the event. IOC athlete representative Ryu attended the IOC assembly and meetings for respective committees held during the Olympics. The information would be promptly delegated to associated organizations to ensure quick updates to ensure ISF could serve its role as an information platform for the Olympics. Two weeks of the Olympic games flew by, but the recent Olympics was a valuable chance to get a close look at the new issues and changes taking place in this quadrennial event.

Continuing to Learn Something Everyday

Even after achieving her dream as a sports administrator, Lim was consistent in her engagement in learning. She took master's and doctorate courses at Yonsei with a desire to deepen her understanding of sports psychology, a field that she first took an interest in during her undergraduate days. The area of sports psychology was ideal for her since she wished to have her niche field of specialty apart from being a sports administrator. She continues to pursue learning throughout her life, rain or shine.

"Though I am currently doing what I love, there is still an urge to continuously better myself. There is so much room for improvement left. Working at ISF exposes me to so many opportunities for learning, such as international events, training abroad, and participation in international events. There are plenty of experiences available apart from administrative work. Through such events, I find new things to learn, and this is the atmosphere that continuously pushes me to expand my boundaries. I have been building up experiences in the field of my work. Still, now I would like to try something more macro in scale, like working with other agencies to establish a more systematic IOC member support system for the future. I want to continue my learning to eventually grow into a sports expert who plays a big role both at home and abroad."

Lim Sang-ah's main events during her days as a professional swimmer were 400 meters in the individual medley and 200 meters in butterfly, both of which were long-distance events where endurance was essential relative to excellent physical strength. This quality of endurance has supported Lim in her journey to strive for her second dream as a sports administrator as she challenged herself in several aspects. She encourages her juniors at Yonsei to continuously challenge themselves.

"The students these days definitely have more experiences and greater skills than I had prepared. Regardless of the field, the first step is the most difficult one. It was not an exception for me; I was also scared and uncertain back then. But remember, if you are firm on what you want to do in life, continuously challenge yourself in that area. Your attempts would accumulate over time to eventually lead you to precious opportunities. If you are interested in something, step out of your comfort zone to show your passion and experience it yourself. There is no better way when it comes to achieving your dream."