KSPO has created the SOLF, Seoul Olympic Legacy Forum as a platform where Olympic legacy entities from all around the world gather for the first time to share and collaborate on sustainable development plans for the Olympic Legacy. Through the SOLF, Olympic legacy entities communicated and cooperated with each other to solve the long-term social problems after the Olympic games and to deliver intangible legacy of Olympic spirit and world peace to future generations.
Innovation Summary
Innovation Overview
Fears over financing, security and staffing threaten citizens in the Olympic host cities scheduled, they learn from the past that huge costs were required to maintain the stadiums and facilities after the Olympics. The Olympics is always shining from the opening ceremony until the closing ceremony. But looking into costs in a tough economy, organizers of the Olympics and citizens in the host cities are not positive about the future of the Olympic legacy, those stadiums and facilities could take shine off after the Olympic games. The Olympic host cities are still procuring the best options for utilizing the Olympic legacy.
KSPO would like to transform those fears over the Olympics into the joy, peace and unity. KSPO has transformed the Olympic Park into a multi-purpose space for sport, a culture and leisure complex, The IOC showcases the Olympic Park as an exemplary organization for sustainable development of Olympic legacy. Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) as Olympic legacy entity is a public organization founded in 1989 as the successor to the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee (SLOOC) after the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Its main aim is to commemorate 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and to promote national sport.
The Seoul Olympic Legacy Forum in October 2022 is an international forum where IOC and some 200 Olympic legacy managers and experts from 19 countries will gathered to discuss the present and the future of Olympic legacy, they will also weigh ways to revitalize the Olympic movement and make contributions to peace in the Korean Peninsula.
KSPO is not well known among the Olympic legacy entities, nor is the SOLF. KSPO started to persuade the IOC and the Olympic host cities to join the SOLF, it was just like the effort to host the 1988 Seoul Olympics back in the year of 1981 when the ROK made efforts to host the Summer Games. KSPO wanted to prove that the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games was a symbolic event that elevated its international image and contributed to great changes in the ROK. KSPO walked the Olympic entities through the great change after the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games by holding the forum.
Despite of the low recognition of KSPO and the SOLF among the Olympic entities, KSPO led the IOC legacy manger to change her mind with persistent effort: in 2019 the IOC legacy manager was invited to the Seoul Olympic Park, walked through the Olympic legacy and found out it as one of the top 5 best practices in the Olympic host cities. IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed his attendance at the forum in June 2022 and delivered a keynote speech at the forum. KSPO obtained the IOC Designation Label in May, which means that the SOLF is officially accredited by IOC. With the accreditation, KSPO dramatically got more Olympic host cities to participate; initially 14 countries were expected to participate in the forum, but 19 countries have actively participated in SOLF.
At the SOLF, Olympic legacy entities gathered and exchanged experiences on a wide range of topics from pre-Game legacy to long-term benefits of legacy and legacy governance. IOC President Thomas Bach gave a keynote address under the theme of “Olympic Legacy and the Next Generation”, emphasizing working ‘together’ in a belief in the power of sport to be a force for good in the world. And legacy entities have reiterated their commitment to supporting the Olympic vision to build a better world throughout sport for the next generation.
Innovation Description
What Makes Your Project Innovative?
The massive costs and dubious benefits associated with hosting the Olympic games have led to fears over the Olympic tangible legacy. The Olympic host cities have been contemplating the use of tangible assets of the Olympics and have invested a lot of resources to find suitable solutions for maintaining the facilities. The ROK hosted the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and created a success story by operating the event above expectations and KSPO has inherited the great assets of it. The SOLF is the first platform where the Olympic host cities learn from KSPO how to revive the Olympic tangible assets after their own Olympics.
Before the 1988 Olympics, the ROK was an Aid Recipient Country, but the UNCTAD in 2021 unanimously raised its status from a developing economy to a developed one. Other developing countries can benchmark Seoul Olympic legacy and ROK's unique experiences from the SOLF. KSPO is the organization to collaborate and share best practices aimed at furthering legacy program
What is the current status of your innovation?
The ROK has own experience of leaping from a developing country to a developed one. 34 years’ experience of KSPO as a global TOP 5 Olympic legacy entity recognized by the IOC can inspire other Olympic legacy entities. During the forum, all the Olympic legacy entities discussed not only the legacy but also environmental and social issues, development, innovation, etc.
KSPO achieved 7 goals through sport, which are:
- Goal 1: environmental improvement,
- Goal 2: development including urban development,
- Goal 3: social development through sports,
- Goal 4: cultural and creative activity development,
- Goal 5: economic and brand value,
- Goal 6: organized sports development,
- Goal 7: human skills and networking innovation.
By sharing achievements from the Seoul Olympic legacy with the IOC as well as the entities, SOLF was able to provide future directions for the sustainability of the legacy and emphasize the importance of the Olympics with confidence that it acquired ever since the Seoul Olympics.
Innovation Development
Collaborations & Partnerships
KSPO has collaborated with the IOC and increased the interest and participation of the Olympic legacy entities in the SOLF. The IOC legacy manager was invited to the Olympic Park and the IOC acknowledges that the SOLF, for the first time should play an important role in inheriting the Olympic spirit and preserving the heritage. The SOLF obtained the Olympic designation label accredited by the IOC in May 2022, which helped to promote the forum among the Olympic legacy entities.
Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries
The Olympic legacy entities jointly sought ways to preserve and utilize Olympic venues that have caused social and financial problems during the forum. The entities and citizens of the host city will also receive benefits from the SOLF, and future generations do as well. From a long-term view, hosting the SOLF is to share the achievements of the Olympic legacy among entities as well as to exchange ideas for sustainable development of sports, society, economy and tourism through cooperation.
Innovation Reflections
Results, Outcomes & Impacts
The SOLF was held from October 18 to October 19, 2022. IOC President, Thomas Bach attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech. KSPO, as one of the 5 best practices approved by the IOC collaborated and organized a new consultative body with the Olympic legacy entities to lead all participant countries to the new era of the Olympic legacy.
Legacy entities have reiterated their commitment to supporting the Olympic vision to build a better world throughout sport for the next generation. Furthermore, ROK’s local governments, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Sports Council, PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation, the Korea Paralympic Committee and other organizations gathered and signed a business agreement on the sustainable legacy management of major international sports games.
Even though wars are happening around the world, nothings can stop the Olympic games, current generations and next generations will enjoy the Olympic legacy.
Challenges and Failures
With lack of recognition, KSPO started to organize the SOLF and ask for support from the IOC and recommended the Olympic host cities join the SOLF. Lack of recognition among the Olympic legacy entities is the obvious hurdle, but KSPO jumped over the hurdle with confidence that KSPO used to make most of the Olympic legacy for fund-raising, sport for all, K-pop.
Conditions for Success
The road map for the IOC and the Olympic Movement, the Olympic Agenda 2020 was built on the three pillars of Credibility, Sustainability and Youth. To support the Olympic Agenda 2020, the SOLF does not stop at sharing success stories, but expands environmental issues, social issues, governance issues.
The SOLF intends to listen to the opinions from all walks of life, especially future generations, to expand sport participation, to spread Olympic values worldwide and to help IOC to lead the Olympic movement.
Replication
The SOLF is not just an academic, temporary event, but a sustainable global program in the form of ODA and aims to lead the development of the Olympic movement for future generations.
At the session, legacy entities agreed together on a joint declaration to engage diverse social groups in creating Olympic legacy, to collaborated with other stakeholders, and to share best practices while also promoting and celebrating the legacy of the Olympic games. And action plans were covered in the main sessions of the SOLF, which are as to the use of Olympic stadiums, legacy preparations before the Olympic Games, and long-term benefits to the environment.
Lessons Learned
KSPO has been managing the great Olympic legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, which is evaluated as the most successful event in history, to this day to develop the spirit of the Seoul Olympic Games into an Olympic legacy worldwide.
When the ROK hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics at first, it was only a developing country receiving help from developed countries, but the hosting of the Olympic Games was an opportunity to lay a foothold to become a developed country. Rather than settling for the present success, by disseminating it the successful case of the Seoul Olympic Legacy to other Olympics entities and undeveloped countries, KSPO hopes to spread the Korean sports promotion project for future generations. Practicing the sport spirit of constant challenge is a great way to innovate the organization and to grow with the world and future generations together.
Anything Else?
KSPO has been managing the great Olympic legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, which is evaluated as the most successful event in history, to this day to develop the spirit of the Seoul Olympic Games into an Olympic legacy worldwide.
When the ROK hosted the 1988 Seoul Olympics at first, it was only a developing country receiving help from developed countries, but the hosting of the Olympic Games was an opportunity to lay a foothold to become a developed country. Rather than settling for the present success, by disseminating it the successful case of the Seoul Olympic Legacy to other Olympics entities and undeveloped countries, KSPO hopes to spread the Korean sports promotion project for future generations.
Practicing the sport spirit of constant challenge is a great way to innovate the organization and to grow with the world and future generations together.
Status:
- Diffusing Lessons - using what was learnt to inform other projects and understanding how the innovation can be applied in other ways
Innovation provided by:
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Date Published:
25 January 2023