Former table tennis star and current head of the Korea Table Tennis Association Ryu Seung-min has been elected vice chair of the International Olympic Committee’s(IOC) Athletes' Commission.

Ryu has been a member of the commission since 2016. He is the first Asian to be elected to the post. 

According to insidethegames.biz, an online news outlet on Olympic affairs, ice hockey bronze medalist Emma Terho of Finland was elected chairperson, beating rival candidate Russian pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva in a vote held Friday.

The 39-year-old Ryu said he feels more responsibility with the new title as athletes are placed in more challenging situations amid the pandemic. He promised to listen more carefully to their voices and play a representative role.