Chairman Yoo Seung-min: "Establishing a fair and clean sports environment that everyone can trust is the most important task" — Korea Sports & Olympic Committee amends regulations of the Sports Fairness Committee

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The Korea Sports & Olympic Committee (Chairman Yoo Seung-min) reviewed and approved a partial amendment to the regulations of the Sports Fairness Committee at its 20th Board of Directors meeting (written resolution) on November 2, following a decision by the Sports Fairness Committee on the 8th, in order to strengthen the fairness and accountability of sports organizations.

The main contents of this revision include ▲improving the disciplinary re-review system, ▲strengthening evaluation criteria for officer re-appointment reviews, ▲clarifying procedures and obligations related to disciplinary actions against officers of sports organizations, and ▲establishing new standards for handling recruitment misconduct.

First, relevant regulations were amended to enhance the fairness and effectiveness of disciplinary re-reviews. Previously, even if a first-instance disciplinary decision was illegal or unjust, the discipline could not be aggravated if only the person subject to the discipline applied for a re-review, and it could not be mitigated if only the victim applied. This created limitations in adjusting the severity of the discipline at the second instance.

Under this revision, if a first-instance disciplinary decision is deemed grossly unjust or illegal, the second instance may aggravate or mitigate the discipline regardless of who applies for the re-review. For example, even if a coach who received a censure for violent conduct applies for a re-review, the second instance can now aggravate the discipline if it determines that the original sanction was excessively light compared to the misconduct. In addition, the basis for requesting a re-review from the relevant disciplinary body has been clarified, limited to cases where there are procedural defects in the first-instance discipline.

The evaluation methods and criteria for officer re-appointment reviews have also been significantly improved. Since the integration of sports organizations in 2016, the Korea Sports & Olympic Committee has operated a re-appointment review system for officers seeking three or more consecutive terms to prevent the privatization of organizations and corruption resulting from long-term tenure. However, following criticisms from the National Assembly and the government in 2024 regarding issues with the existing evaluation criteria, the committee significantly strengthened objective, performance-based quantitative evaluation indicators after gathering opinions from member organizations. It differentiated evaluation items and point allocations for the chairman and general officers, abolished the previous bonus point system, and established new evaluation criteria that expand deductions proportionally to the number of re-appointments.

Furthermore, standards were established to deduct points during re-appointment reviews for officers of organizations that fail to comply with disciplinary requests from the Sports Ethics Center within the deadline without justifiable cause, thereby strengthening the accountability of sports organizations in handling disciplinary matters. The Korea Sports & Olympic Committee explained, "Through this, we expect to more strictly evaluate the actual performance and fulfillment of responsibilities during an officer's tenure, and by exceptionally allowing re-appointment only for officers who have achieved clear results, we will enhance the fairness and effectiveness of the system."

Regulations regarding the elevation of disciplinary jurisdiction over officers of sports organizations were also organized. In accordance with measures implemented on June 1, the procedures for handling officer misconduct, as well as the obligations of affiliated organizations to notify and submit materials, have been codified. If these obligations are not fulfilled or if fact-finding is obstructed, necessary measures such as audits, demands for correction, and disciplinary requests can be taken.

Finally, in response to the recommendation by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission to unify disciplinary standards for fair recruitment, new standards for handling recruitment misconduct were established to strengthen fairness in the recruitment process of sports organizations.

Chairman Yoo Seung-min emphasized, "Establishing a fair and clean sports environment that everyone can trust is the most important task," and stated, "Taking this regulatory revision as an opportunity, we will enhance the fairness of disciplinary procedures so that victims are not wounded again by unjust discipline, and continuously improve related systems so that officers of sports organizations can fulfill their roles with a sense of responsibility."

The revised "Regulations of the Sports Fairness Committee" take effect from November 2, the date of the board resolution, while the "Evaluation Methods and Criteria for Officer Re-Appointment Reviews" will apply starting from re-appointment reviews related to officer elections held on or after January 1, 2027.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original