Cho Yang-ho
Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho was named special adviser to the International Table Tennis Federation last week, company officials said.
During its general meeting in Paris last Friday, the ITTF selected Cho in recognition of his efforts to promote peace through table tennis and further develop the sport, according to the officials.
Sports insiders said Cho had been at the forefront of developing table tennis as head of the Korea Table Tennis Association and vice president of the Asia Table Tennis Union.
Cho, who is also head of Korean Air, was reelected president of the KTTA in January by a unanimous vote, the first of its kind in 18 years.
Company officials said Cho’s reelection came as a result of his contributions to domestic table tennis by supporting the development of players, umpires and coaches.
Cho has also sought global peace through table tennis as international ambassador for Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based organization. He was named to the post in 2010.
As international ambassador, he supported the 2011 Qatar Peace and Sports Table Tennis Cup in November, in which players from countries in dispute such as India and Pakistan played alongside each other. South and North Korea paired in a single team for the first time in 20 years for the event.
Cho’s sports diplomacy extends to other sports.
The business tycoon has also provided financial contributions to the U.N. Office on Sport for Development and Peace, and Youth Leadership Camp, to give sporting opportunities to teenagers in poor countries.
Since being elected as vice president of the Korea Olympic Committee, Cho is also sponsoring figure skating star Kim Yu-na, swimmer Park Tae-hwan and gymnast Sohn Yeon-jae.
In his strong determination to develop Asian sports, he also had Korean Air sponsor the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
By Chun Sung-woo (swchun@heraldcorp.com)