Seoul National University awards IOC President Bach with honorary doctorate

At a ceremony held at Seoul National University, President Oh Se-jung presented International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach with an honorary doctorate in recognition of his “dedication to creating a peaceful and better world through sports.”

The university’s president cited the various achievements of Bach in the field of sport and humanitarian towards “pioneering efforts made to protect refugees.”

“[Bach has] founded the Refugee Olympic Team in 2015 and supported athletes in various ways to continue their training and compete in the Olympic Games in any situation, including war.”

Oh Se-jung praised Bach for support in garnering global consensus in the effort to support the Ukrainian Olympic Committee throughout the last year and the IOC effort to “increase the sustainability of the Olympic Movement, by presenting a strong reform agenda and setting a moral example while driving innovation in the international sports community.”

“This honor belongs to the entire IOC and the whole of the Olympic Movement. Because, without the support of so many around the globe, our Olympic mission to make the world a better place through sport could never be accomplished,” said President Bach at the ceremony.

In addition, Bach paid tribute to the work of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He noted that various initiatives the IOC and the organization have carried out are inspired by his contributions, most notably the establishment of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which aims to help the UN achieve its Sustainable Development Goals.

The Seoul National University bestows an honorary doctorate of sport to recognize individuals who excel in the field of sport and serve humanity in various ways. Throughout its history, the university has only awarded such distinctions to a hundred honorary doctorates.