The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has named Kim Yeon-koung the Asia regional winner of its Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Champions Awards.
On the 10th, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced that Kim — a three-time Olympian and chair of the Kim Yeon-koung Foundation — had been selected as the IOC’s Asia regional GEDI Champions Award recipient.
The GEDI Champions Awards recognize individuals and organizations that advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion through sport. The IOC names winners who represent global and continental leadership on those issues.
Kim represented South Korea at three Olympics: London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020. She led Korea to the semifinals in London and was unusually named tournament MVP despite her team finishing fourth. She again played a central role in Korea’s run to the semifinals in Tokyo.
Since retiring, Kim has focused on expanding opportunities for female athletes, strengthening leadership pathways, and creating safer, fairer environments in sport. She founded the KYK Foundation to support young athletes and broaden access to athletics.
The foundation runs scholarship and training-support programs for young athletes who face financial barriers to continuing in sport, with a particular focus on reducing participation obstacles for girls and helping them stay involved long term.
It also expands opportunities for youth and strengthens community sports by staging a nationwide middle-school volleyball tournament, supplying equipment to school teams, and running youth clinics across regions.
Kim is actively involved in programs that help female athletes sustain their careers and transition into leadership roles.
On the TV program Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung, she provides technical coaching and mentoring to women who have retired or left teams, helping them move into coaching and other roles within the sports sector.
She has also taken on international roles — serving as an ambassador for the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and appearing as a promotional ambassador at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) world conference — consistently stressing the importance of athlete education, fair competition and safe sporting environments.
