The Korean University Sports Board (KUSB) provides various opportunities in which national university students can participate to expand their experience in preparing for the international stage.

FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy participant Min Joo Kim spoke with recently appointed KUSB President Ho-sung Chang, who said, “We have a lot of expectations for students to become sports leaders that represent Korea internationally. They should prepare for it one by one and put it into action.”

KUSB is a subcommittee of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) and was established in 1967 to promote university sports as well as to actively engage with FISU and the Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF). Since Korea has a unique university sports structure, KUSB mainly focuses on tasks such as selecting and sending student-athlete representatives for international competitions, hosting university sports development forums, guiding university students to relevant programs, and much more.

“KUSB is connected with all student-athlete owning universities within the nation. We sometimes cooperate directly with the universities and other times, as a subcommittee, we collaborate with KSOC and competition organisers to participate in FISU and AUSF international competitions,” explained Chang.

Student-athletes are able to test their abilities by earning opportunities to compete at international competitions such as the World University Games and World University Championships. By being able to compete on an international level and interact with students from all over the world, it can become a catalyst in motivating student-athletes to further grow their skills.

“Through the Muju-Chonju 1997 Winter Universiade, Daegu 2003 Summer Universiade, and Gwangju 2015 Summer Universiade, we have hosted three Winter and Summer Universiades within our country. By achieving an overall win in the Gwangju 2015 Summer Universiade and so forth, we are clearly demonstrating our capability as the top 3 country in the Winter and Summer Games,” Chang mentioned with pride.

Chang has consistently been putting effort into the development and promotion of university sports in Korea by serving in a variety of roles such as Vice President of AUSF in 2011 and President of the Korean University Sports Federation in 2012. He also led the Korean Team at both the 2005 Winter Universiade and 2011 Summer Universiade, which helped to nationally strengthen the status of international sports.

This September, Korea will be hosting the 3rd Asian University Cheerleading Championships online. It will be the first ever international university event to be organised in a virtual format in Korea. Chang added, “There are a lot of preparations to be made. We are closely cooperating and preparing with those who are involved.”

As for long term goals, Chang hopes to be able to host the 2027 FISU World University Games (summer edition) in the Chungcheong region. “If we ought to be selected as the preferred bidder by FISU in the first half of 2022, we must prepare for it accordingly,” stated Chang. “If Chungcheong Province gets selected for the FISU World University Games in 2027, we will do our very best to successfully host the games in the next five years.”

Apart from international competitions, KUSB additionally provides students with a platform from which they are able to learn diverse skills that help them to build their own networks and strengths.

Chang noted, “In order to achieve this, we are doing everything we can to connect with not only student-athletes, but also non-athlete students as well.”

Chang believes that although it is important for student-athletes to take part in national and international competitions, it is also very significant to “utilise a scientific approach to analyse the overall performances of the athletes in all of the competitions that have opened so far.” He further stressed the necessity for active participation in various international university sports seminars and student exchange programs.

“Each student-athlete plays a role as a diplomat, so they must also pay attention in learning to conduct oneself and to educate themselves about fair play. There is also a need to collect and provide information about the country and region of the various competitions that they participate in,” Chang pointed out.

Through collaboration, KSOC regularly posts information about FISU and AUSF programs through its homepage and social media, to help KUSB on its mission to proliferate the importance of university sports to all students.

As an organisation representing university sports in Korea, KUSB works to increase university students’ interest and knowledge in sports and provides a steppingstone in getting students more involved internationally.

There is much anticipation for future sports leaders to pave the way for international sports in Korea.

By Min Joo Kim, FISU Student Ambassador of the Republic of Korea