Ha Hyeong-joo chosen as 2024 Sports Hero of Korea

Standing Auditor Ha Hyeong-joo (age 62, photo) of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation has been named to the ‘Hall of Sports Heroes of Korea.’ The Korea Sports Council announced on Oct 30 that it had selected Ha, the first Korean judo player to win an Olympic gold medal, as Korea’s Sports Hero for 2024. Ha was a gold medalist in the men's 95-kg weight class in judo at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He has become the first former judo player to be selected as a sports hero.

“Ha has achieved outstanding results in various international competitions, including the 1984 LA Olympics, the 1986 Seoul Asian Games (gold medal), and the World Championships (one silver medal, two bronze medals),” said the Korea Sports Council. “He was highly recognized for promoting Korea in the world and the growth of Korea’s competitiveness in judo.”

Since 2011, the Korea Sports Council has selected individuals who have contributed to the development of Korean sports and nominated to the Hall of Sports Heroes. Candidates are recommended from all walks of life and three final candidates are chosen, who are decided based on performance and public survey results. This year, Shim Kwon-ho, a wrestling gold medalist at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Lee Hong-bok, the first Korean cyclist to win an Asian Games gold medal at the 1958 Tokyo Games, had been chosen as the final three along with Ha.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com