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| ▲ President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a keynote speech during the opening of the 26th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in southern Seoul on Oct. 19, 2022. (Yonhap) |
Yoon-Olympic meeting
Yoon vows to infuse spirit of freedom, solidarity in sports
By Lee Haye-ah
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk-yeol said Wednesday he will work to infuse the spirit of freedom and solidarity in sports, as he addressed a gathering of national Olympic bodies.
Yoon gave a keynote speech at the opening of the 26th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in southern Seoul.
This is the third time South Korea is hosting the general assembly, which is known as the U.N. General Assembly of sports, following previous editions in 1986 and 2006.
"I believe that the spirit of freedom and solidarity sought by the Republic of Korea government is no different from the Olympic spirit," Yoon said.
"We will do our best to not only infuse the spirit of freedom and solidarity across the entire sports sector but also work to contribute to the international community through sports," he said.
Freedom and solidarity have been a recurring theme in the president's speeches, especially before the international community.
Yoon said his country has striven for world peace by building solidarity with other nations through the Olympic Games, but that the threats to world peace are serious.
"We must overcome these challenges through the Olympic spirit of advancement of humanity and promotion of world peace," Yoon said. "The international community must gather its strength so that the efforts of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of National Olympic Committees to bring freedom and solidarity through sports can continue into the future."
The president further called on all participants to take a special interest in the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, which will be hosted in the South Korean province in January 2024, to ensure the Olympic spirit can be passed on to future generations.
The general assembly brought together 205 National Olympic Committees, with some 800 sports officials, including IOC President Thomas Bach and heads of international sports governing bodies, in attendance.
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