Korean FIFA Master student Youjin Lee has always had a thing for supporting the underdog.
So it was no surprise, in a country where football and basketball dominate the back pages, that she took an opportunity to work as a sports coordinator for the Korea Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation.
Youjin in the Korean team bobsleigh
It opened her eyes to a world where financial support was not a given and a small team had to wear many hats to secure the funding that would help athletes make it to the pinnacle - taking part in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Youjin also saw how a sport that needs snow, tracks to race on and to travel internationally, was not as sustainable as it could be.
And, as we mark International Women’s Day, Youjin has talked about how the two years with the federation opened her eyes to the continuing fight for gender equality, even in a team where women were actively encouraged to speak out about discrimination.
Youjin while studying at DMU
Youjin is one of 27 students who started studying the FIFA Master at De Montfort University Leicester’s (DMU) International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) in September last year and, having completed their Humanities of Sport module, are now studying in Milan for a second module on sports management at SDA Bocconi. They will complete the year-long course in Switzerland at the University of Neuchatel in the summer.
Youjin, 26, said: “I knew I wanted to start a career in some sort of governance and the Federation of Bobsleigh and Skeleton was underrepresented in Korea.
“I have always been someone who supports the underdog and they had such little support when it came to funding. One of our coaches had to sell his wristwatch to raise extra money for a member of the team.
The Korean team in Beijing
“Before I joined I didn’t know much about the sport but I felt strongly that so-called minor sports needed more funding and did not really have a chance to shine.
“Korea had done well in the bobsleigh when the country hosted the winter Olympics and we wanted some legacy from that success.
“The team wanted someone who could specialise in international affairs and who spoke good English to be part of the international coordination team on the road to Beijing.
“The secretary general of the federation, Kangmin, is a great leader and he put trust in me. I am so grateful that he looked at the person rather than the previous experience.
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“Like most small federations I had to put a lot of different hats on, such as event planning, marketing and communication strategies, attending International Federation Congresses and doing all the preparations needed for international competitions.
“So, on the road to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, I was coordinating international competitions in order for the teams to get points and qualify which meant setting up competition in cities in Europe while following all the international rules and regulations.
“It was incredibly enjoyable but I also remember the weather conditions being really harsh around the bobsleigh tracks. It is not a very luxurious business.
“Plus, I was running up and down the track and filming the bobsleigh on the corners for the team to watch back.
“The first time I did it I was so nervous. I didn’t capture the right bend and it didn’t record properly. I couldn’t sleep that night!”
Youjin (4th right) with the Korea Bobsleigh Skeleton Federation team
While mastering filming techniques for bobsleigh runs was one challenge, Youjin was also assessing the sustainability of the sport.
She explained: “One of the other things I was passionate about, and still am, is the environmental impact of sport.
“An innate problem with bobsleigh and winter sports is creating snow and building tracks and this has an impact on the environment.
“You want to protect the sport and its heritage but you cannot brush off the environmental damage that can be caused.
“The other aspect is that the cost means not many developing countries can participate. You are looking at a bobsleigh costing in the region of $100,000. And if the country you want to compete for does not support the sport you are looking at going to other countries to borrow their equipment.
“Then the logistics of transporting a bobsleigh and team from Korea to Europe is another cost and environmental concern.
“I love the sport but I did not have a solution for the expense and the environmental damage the sport can cause. So, joining the FIFA Master is going to give me the inspiration to make winter sports more sustainable.”
Youjin (centre) with members of her bobsleigh team
Youjin is also well aware of the issues that can arise as a woman in sport. “our federation in Korea worked very hard on gender equality”, she said.
“They wanted to make sure women were treated and respected in the same way as the male athletes and not give male workers priorities.
“As a female staff member I felt good that women could talk to me about the unique difficulties they face such as the menstrual cycle, or the pressures of being men in a male-dominated sport.
“I felt great that these women leaned on me and that I was open to talk about such important issues.
“It is a fact that the women in the bobsleigh team in Korea are born smaller than western athletes. So, they have to eat more calories in order to put on more weight and be as competitive as possible. If you do not make the right weight then extra weights have to be added to the bobsleigh and this is going to slow you down.
“It meant we had professional women athletes forcing themselves to eat in order to gain weight. I remember one of them saying she was so fed up with it and couldn’t eat another thing.
“There are many issues surrounding women in sport and it is true women feel there is discrimination between men and women.
“A four-person team in bobsleigh can technically be mixed but the rule is meaningless as it never happens in tournaments. And when there are tournaments it is always the women who go first and then the men’s race always goes second.
“And if you are a woman and talk about these things there is a feeling you could be shunned for being sensitive. Sexual harassment or overt words of discrimination can be called out but it is the subtle discrimination that it is just as difficult to speak out about.
“I am proud that in the Korean bobsleigh the leaders welcomed comments on how to make things better.”
Youjin showing her support at the Beijing Winter Olympics
Looking back on her last couple of years, Youjin has had two experiences she remembers for very different reasons – one was riding a bobsleigh and the other was living in Leicester and studying at DMU!
She said: “I got to ride the bobsleigh. I was really excited and thought it would be like a roller coaster but when you speed around the track the G-force is unbelievable to the point of being painful.
“Many bobsleigh team members retire with back problems or suffer concussion. The bobsleigh teams were so inspiring but it was also heart-breaking seeing these athletes involved in some crazy crashes. The courage they have is so admirable.
“I also loved my time in Leicester. I really miss it. Milan is an incredible city, yes, but Leicester was a lot more peaceful. I knew everyone including the lady at the Tesco superstore. It is a city that feels a lot more personal.”
Finally, is there anything bobsleigh can do to get more people involved?
“I think it needs to be marketed more in a fun way. I am pretty sure anyone given the chance to go down a track would go for it.”
Posted on Wednesday 8 March 2023