Seoul: Bae Dong-hyun, president of the Korea Para Nordic Skiing Federation, lost in the election for president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Saturday. In a decisive vote during the IPC General Assembly in Seoul, Bae was defeated by the incumbent leader from Brazil, Andrew Parsons, who secured 109 votes to Bae's 68. The election saw no abstentions.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Parsons has been leading the IPC since 2017 and will now continue into his third four-year term. Bae, who aimed to become the first Asian leader of the global para sports organization, had pledged to bring about "concrete improvement" for the IPC. His campaign focused on achieving sustainable financial growth and ensuring balanced governance.
Bae holds significant roles as the president of Changsung Group and chairman of both the BDH Paras Foundation and the Changsung Scholarship Foundation. He has also previously served as South Korea's chef de mission at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics and is set to serve again at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics.