Tae-seok Jang, 55, head coach of the Ulsan Metropolitan Government, has been honored by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the Coach’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The IOC announced today (Feb. 22) that Jang and Argentine judo coach Laura Martinel will be honored with the 2023 Coach’s Lifetime Achievement Award .The IOC Coach’s Lifetime Achievement Award highlights the important role coaches play in the lives of athletes on and off the field of play and recognizes coaches for their contribution to the Olympic journey .Nominations are open to coaches who have coached athletes who have competed at the Summer or Winter Olympic Games, and a jury appointed by IOC President Thomas Bach will select the winner from among the nominations. Established in 2017, the award is now in its fifth year and has been presented to two winners each year, with the exception of 2020 and 2021, when it was not presented in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Jang is the first South Korean coach to receive the award, and the second in Asia after Japanese artistic swimming coach Masako Kaneko was honored in 2017.A former national athlete, Jang has led the Korean women’s epee team to world-class performance since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics until recently. She has led the Korean women’s epee team to major achievements at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, including an individual title (Kang Young-mi) and silver medal in the team event, a silver medal in the team event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and individual and team titles at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (Choi In-jung).The Korean women’s epee team is currently ranked No. 1 in the world in the team event. In announcing the award, the IOC said Jang “has been at the forefront of the growth of women’s fencing in South Korea.”

“The role of a coach in an athlete’s life is sometimes invisible, but always invaluable,” said Bach, a former Olympic fencing gold medalist (men’s foil team, Montreal 1976). “The wealth of medals won by their athletes is a testament to the work of both coaches. “The wealth of medals won by their athletes is a testament to the achievements of both coaches. They have done an outstanding job of promoting the Olympic spirit and values and deserve to be recognized. Accepting the trophy on behalf of Hwang Hee-kyung, International President of the Korean Olympic Committee, in Switzerland, Zhang said: “I am grateful to receive this prestigious award from the IOC. I would like to thank the athletes, and I am happy and honored to have shared countless 슬롯게이밍 memories and moments of victory with such outstanding athletes.”