President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to instill the spirit of freedom and solidarity in the field of sports, as well as make contributions to the international community through sports.

Yoon made the pledge in a keynote speech delivered at the 26th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Seoul on Wednesday. 

He said the spirit of freedom and solidarity pursued by the South Korean government is no different to the spirit of the Olympics. 

The president said that through the Olympics, South Korea has been able to continuously join hands with the international community, and made efforts together towards achieving world peace. 

He then pledged South Korea’s commitment to support the ANOC and the International Olympic Committee’s endeavors in promoting world peace. 

Founded in 1979, the ANOC aims to protect and advance the collective interests of the world’s 206 National Olympic Committees recognized by the International Olympic Committee by providing active assistance and support. 

The 26th General Assembly of ANOC, often dubbed the UN general assembly of the sports world, kicked off on Tuesday and will run through Friday.

National Olympic Committee delegates from 204 countries and around 800 high-level international sports officials, including IOC President Thomas Bach, are participating in the Seoul assembly.