In hopes of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics, South Korea’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Bid Committee announced on Sunday that one of their final presenters will be Toby Dawson, the Korean American skier who won the bronze medal for the United States in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Expressing his commitment to the bid, Dawson promised: “I will do my best to open the Winter Games in the nation where I was born.”

The Korea Times reports that the bid is especially meaningful for Dawson, who was born in South Korea but was adopted into an American home after losing his birth parents in a marketplace when he was three-years-old. After winning the bronze medal in Turin, Dawson announced with his rusty Korean, “Mom, Dad, I miss you,” immediately attracting much attention in Korea. He began his search for his biological parents and finally reunited with them in 2007. According to Chosun Ilbo, the story of his search was made into a documentary that aired in the U.S. in April.

Along with other committee members like Olympic figure skating gold medalist Kim Yu-Na, Dawson seems to be a perfect addition to the team. His inspirational account of loss and discovery fits in perfectly with the team’s slogan, “New Horizons,” and many are hoping that Pyeongchang’s third attempt at the bid will be a success.

[Photo: Yonhap]