Founder and CEO of VentureBlick, Board Chairman, Global Healthcare Leader, Investor, Startup Advisor
Last night, I watched the Men's 58 KG Taekwondo final of the 2024 Paris Olympics—the same weight class I competed in during the 1988 Olympics but lost in the first round. Yes, I was that skinny back then! 😅 A few fun facts you might not know: 1. In 1988 when I was competing in the Olympics, Taekwondo was just a demonstration sport. It took 12 more years for it to become an official Olympic event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. 2. Many factors determine if and when a demonstration sport becomes official, including equal opportunities for both genders, inclusivity, a trial period to gauge interest, and—most importantly—its "appeal and marketability," meaning it needs to attract enough live audience and strong viewership. 3. While Taekwondo originated in Korea, they don't always win. In fact, Korea didn’t win any gold medals in Taekwondo at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Even last night’s 58 KG match marked the first time Korea won gold medal in this weight category. This got me thinking about the parallels between sports and innovation again. Innovation, much like Olympic sports, can come from anywhere, and leadership can also emerge from anywhere, regardless of where something originates and who used to dominate. Looking at the big picture and in the long run, whether in sports or innovation, it needs to be global, inclusive, and beneficial to the majority. And in the end, the market has the final say. Do you agree? #Paris2024 #Olympics #Innovation #Globalization #Sports
Jonathan B.
4mo
It has become increasingly evident that the national distinctions among athletes, coaches, and support teams are becoming less pronounced. Chinese athletes may represent European teams in table tennis, and European coaches may work with Asian teams. This fluid movement within a regulated framework enhances the spectacle of competition. Likewise, more open and inclusive policies can facilitate the rapid dissemination of technology, aiming to achieve greater equality on a broader scale.
chunmao Zhang
4mo
you compete in olympics 👍
Andrew Harrison
4mo
it is interesting to look at what ancient vs modern martial arts and combat sports (including wrestling forms) are and are not in the Olympics, innovation here can simply start with popularity i started in taekwondo when i was a child (i was born in 88...) but times have changed in recent decades for better or worse for starters once again at least in the US, unlike the team sports such as soccer and basketball, there is no future pursuing competitive pin style (freestyle) wrestling in college some of these kids are trying to get into MMA to make money, but there is no striking training or experience in wrestling BJJ and grappling in generally have become hugely popular in the US, largely displacing the other modern martial art judo as i write the "grappling Olympics" are happening in Las Vegas right now, ADCC, but there is a historic competing event CGI happening at the exact same time in Vegas with a winning cash prize of USD $1 million ... is there a future for grappling? many of those same college wrestling kids transition to BJJ and grappling to learn more skills for MMA already there is more, kickboxing, Muay Thai, but space philosophy too https://made4fighters.com/blogs/default-blog/combat-sports-in-the-olympics
Vinay Sharma
4mo
Interesting point of view.
Raneewan Ramsiri
4mo
Great comparison and point of view as always, Chris 😊👍🏻 I'm so glad that Thailand has won gold medal in 49 KG women Taekwondo at the Paris Olympics too😊
Nathan Liu
4mo
Wow, you attended Olympics. Amazing 👍
Rupinder Singh
4mo
Chris Lee Excellent 👌 piece Keep sharing..
Senior Business Executive – Corporate Development & General Management | Driving Growth through Strategic Partnerships, M&As & Patient-Centric Digital Solutions
4moIn sports like for innovation, an ecosystem with the right incentives need to be in place to let talents emerge. If you look at the top 10 countries, they all have that : UK, France and Japan invested heavily in sports so that their athletes perform in their home Olympics. US have university leagues to fund young athletes, China also supports their athletes. I don’t know about Australia and Korea but I guess it must be there too. There is a strong correlation between GDP per capita and medal per capita. Innovation is quite similar : you need funds to sustain start-up growth and incentives to attract the best talents and give them the appetite to try.