On Sunday, September 20, athlete scholarship recipients from Kookmin University’s (President Jeong Seung-ryeol) Olympic Graduate School (OGS) met with the President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games venue to discuss ways to expand support for athletes’ career transitions after retirement and their entry into the international sports sector.
Visiting the venue at the official invitation of the OCA, the athlete scholarship recipients exchanged views with H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the OCA, and Kirsty Coventry, President of the IOC, on ways to collaborate on athlete education, career development, and entry into the international sports arena. In attendance were Lee Jeong-su (short track speed skating, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics gold medalist), Seo Young-woo (bobsled, 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics silver medalist), Kim So-young (badminton, 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist), Mohammad Amer (Jordan national track and field team member), and SinRong Lin (Taiwan bobsled and luge Olympian)—all athletes currently pursuing their studies at Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Asian Olympic Studies.
Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Asian Olympic Studies is an OCA-accredited graduate program that focuses on governance, policy, international sports administration, sustainability, and ESG to equip athletes and sports professionals with the expertise and leadership required in the international sports arena. In particular, it operates an educational system that integrates master’s and doctoral programs with practical experience in the international sports arena, enabling athletes to translate the experience gained during their active careers into new professional paths after retirement.
During the meeting, discussions centered on supporting athletes’ advancement to master’s and doctoral programs and their career transitions after retirement, as well as expanding cooperation with the IOC and OCA and increasing internship and field training opportunities in collaboration with International Federations (IFs), Asian Federations (AFs), and domestic and international sports organizations. Yoo Seung-min, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, also attended the meeting and exchanged views on ways to collaborate on the education, career development, and entry into the international sports arena for athletes both in Korea and abroad. 
Meanwhile, Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Asian Olympic Studies supports students in applying the expertise they gain through their studies to real-world international sports settings through field studies at international competitions, internships, and practical partnerships with domestic and international sports organizations. Furthermore, by incorporating key issues in the international sports community—such as sustainability and ESG—into its curriculum, the school meets industry demands and strives to cultivate talent capable of playing professional roles in the Asian Olympic Movement in the future.
Going forward, Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Asian Olympic Studies plans to expand its network with domestic and international sports organizations, including the OCA and IOC, and strengthen its role as a platform for cultivating global sports talent, enabling athletes to translate the experience and specialized education gained during their active careers into new professional paths.

 From left: Professor Park JooHee, Lee Jeong-soo, Kim So-young, Seo Young-woo, Xin Longlin (Taiwan), Mohammad (Jordan), IOC Chairperson Kirsty Coventry, and OCA Chairperson Sheikh Joan

 From left: Athlete Lee Jeong-su, OCA President Shake Joan, Kim So-young, OCA Secretary General (Hussein Al-Musallam: President of the World Aquatics Federation, Honorary Dean of the OCA Graduate School at Kookmin University), OCA Vice President, and OCA officials