▲ Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min speaks during a press conference wrapping up the South Korean delegation's performance at the Korea House for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on the 4th. Head of the delegation Lee Sang-hyun is on the left.
Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KOC) President Yoo Seung-min described the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as the "most protested tournament in history" during a press conference wrapping up the event.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Korea House near the Main Media Center (MMC) in Nagoya, Japan, today (the 4th), Yoo said, "Now that the tournament has practically ended, it is difficult to go into detail," but added, "We will take this tournament as a lesson and prepare well for the Chungcheong Universiade next year."
This tournament laid bare systematic problems across the board, ranging from accommodations and transportation to training and competition environments.
To cut costs, instead of building a separate athletes' village, organizers dispersed athletes across cruise ships, container accommodations, and downtown hotels.
In the wake of this, transportation chaos erupted and athletes experienced major inconveniences.
Accidents, both big and small, continued to occur, such as the Taegeukgi failing to raise properly during South Korea's gold medal ceremony at the men's football final yesterday (the 3rd), which Yoo attended as a medal presenter.
Yoo remarked, "We will thoroughly reflect on this Asian Games and prepare an event worthy of our national prestige," adding, "The working-level staff of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee went through a lot."
South Korea finished third overall in this tournament, sending 790 athletes across 41 out of 43 events to capture a total of 150 medals: 39 golds, 43 silvers, and 68 bronzes.
Although the medal count decreased compared to the 2022 Hangzhou Games, the committee self-evaluated that it achieved success in diversifying events and uncovering new gold-mine disciplines despite structural disadvantages, such as the exclusion of roller sports, go, and shooting running target, as well as the reduction of taekwondo kyorugi weight classes.
Kim Taek-soo, the head of the national athletes' village, stated in his performance report, "Despite the disadvantages of the sport structure reorganization, there were meaningful achievements, such as the diversification of medal-winning sports and our first-ever gold medals in new events."
Modern pentathlete Seong Seung-min became the first-ever South Korean female athlete to win gold in the individual event, while skateboarder Kang Jun-i overcame failures in his first and second runs to successfully execute a highest-difficulty technique in his third run, claiming the gold medal.
Archery compound shooter Kim Jong-ho, kurash 87kg class athlete Kim Min-young, and teqball player Lee Jun-seok each won the first-ever gold medals in their respective disciplines, while the men's 3x3 basketball team wrote history by winning their first gold medal amid difficult conditions, marking South Korea's 800th gold medal overall in Asian Games history.
The competitiveness of traditional powerhouse events was also reaffirmed.
The men's sabre fencing team and men's football team achieved their fourth consecutive titles, while baseball achieved its fifth straight title, once again proving their dominance in Asia.
Cho Kwang-hee, Kim Hyo-bin, Lee Gun-hyuk, Lee Woo-seok, and Oh Sang-uk became double gold medalists, while badminton player An Se-young captured the Asian Games' first-ever consecutive women's team titles, and the women's doubles pair combined for their first gold medal in 24 years.
Sailing athlete Ha Jee-min secured his fourth career gold medal after competing in five consecutive games.
Strong performances in ball sports also stood out, with basketball securing gold medals in three out of four events (along with one bronze), football taking gold in the men's division, and women's handball claiming its first gold medal in eight years.
On the other hand, events like swimming, athletics, and weightlifting keenly felt the "Asian barrier," failing to translate multiple national and tournament records into medals.
The Sport & Olympic Committee stated that Central Asian and Southeast Asian countries, alongside China and host nation Japan, are growing rapidly, leaving them with the task of coldly reassessing competitiveness by event with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics just two years away.
Head of the delegation Lee Sang-hyun said, "I thought I was prepared after gaining experience as deputy head at the Hangzhou and Paris Games, but I was flustered as more problems than expected arose." He added, "I believe the delegation and the committee responded swiftly and resolved them, but we gained a lesson that prior education is necessary so that athletes are not flustered by such unexpected incidents and accidents in the future."
He further noted, "We experienced difficulties moving between stadiums and training sites, and the delegation sometimes had to endure inconveniences, but all coaches and officials did their best in their respective positions so that the athletes could remain unfazed and focus on their matches."
Regarding the operational issues, President Yoo also mentioned the importance of international sports diplomacy.
He stated, "To overcome such unexpected situations in the future, we will engage more actively in international activities," adding, "We will closely examine areas where the Sport & Olympic Committee can provide support so that the delegation is not shaken by unnecessary external variables."
Yoo also touched upon remarks made by some athletes who received military service exemptions during the tournament that did not align with public sentiment.
He said, "Although we provided extensive education ranging from interview skills through basic etiquette training, it is difficult to control the remarks of every single athlete." He added, "In a way, these were remarks that did not match public sentiment. We will seek ways to ensure expressions are dignified as national team athletes."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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