[Yonhap News Photo]
Former United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon was given a chance of leading an international organization after the executive board of the International Olympic Committee recommended him to head its ethics commission.
The IOC said in a post on its website that Ban had committed the UN "to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, accountability and transparency". One of his first actions was to introduce a code of ethics, it said, describing Ban as "a strong proponent of enhancing the role of sport to address global challenges".
IOC President Thomas Bach said in the post that Ban has "an exemplary record of public service with integrity, accountability and transparency". Ban accepted the IOC's proposal and said: "I will do my best to enhance the accountability and transparency of the IOC."
If approved in an IOC vote in Lima in September, Ban will replace Youssoupha Ndiaye, former president of Senegal's constitutional court.
Ban, 72, was one of South Korea's top presidential contenders when he returned home on January 12 after completing a 10-year tenure as UN secretary general. He has maintained a low profile since he gave up his presidential bid on February 1, expressing frustration over an "obsolete and selfish" mindset in South Korea's political circle.
The IOC has been hit by a series of corruption scandals. In March, Frank Fredericks stepped down as chairman of IOC's 2024 host city evaluation commission following a news report that a company with ties to him received $300,000 from a business owned by Papa Massata Diack, IAAF's former marketing director, when Rio de Janeiro was selected to host the 2016 Olympics.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
