"Spurring Toward Gold": South Korean Delegation Departs for Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

South Korean national athletes have departed for Nagoya, Japan, the battleground for the Asian Games, to chase gold medals at Asia's premier sports festival.

The main delegation of the South Korean contingent for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games set off for Japan via Incheon International Airport this morning (the 17th).

Marking the 20th Summer Asian Games, the upcoming tournament will run for 16 days through October 4, kicking off with the opening ceremony on the 19th at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.

Events will be held across 19 cities and towns within Aichi Prefecture centered around Nagoya, as well as in Tokyo, Osaka, and Shizuoka.

While certain events such as men's basketball, football, and volleyball are already underway following the curtain-raiser on the 10th, the main South Korean delegation that departed today consists of 122 athletes and officials—including Chef de Mission Lee Sang-hyun—across badminton, cycling (road), handball (women's), karate, table tennis, and volleyball (beach volleyball).

Table tennis player Shin Yu-bin and badminton player Seo Seung-jae led the way as flag bearers for the departing delegation.

Kim Woo-jin (archery recurve) and Lee Bo-na (shooting shotgun) have been selected as team captains for the tournament.

During the opening ceremony, Kim Dong-yong (rowing) and Shin Yu-bin are scheduled to lead the South Korean delegation while carrying the Taegeukgi.

Upon arrival locally, the delegation will enter their respective athletes' villages, complete their local adaptation, and then dive into the official competition schedule.

Prior to departure, Chef de Mission Lee Sang-hyun stated in his remarks, "Our athletes have been showing truly impressive performances in the pre-games held before the opening. Building on this momentum, our delegation will further spur our powerful steps toward gold medals."

Lee added, "I believe the Asian Games are practically the only event where less-popular and lesser-known sports can ride the enthusiastic support of the citizens. Since they will display their fighting spirit in these sports as well, I hope the public will enjoy and cheer on a variety of events together."

Seo Seung-jae and Shin Yu-bin, speaking as representatives of the athletes, vowed to put on strong performances.

Seo stated, "I am honored to serve as the representative for the main South Korean delegation. As a flag bearer departing for the games, I will take responsibility and do my part to contribute with great matches."

Shin also shared her determination, saying, "Thank you so much for giving me such an honorable position as a flag bearer. I will work hard with a sense of responsibility to achieve great results."

Seo Seung-jae, the world number one in men's doubles paired with his Samsung Life teammate Kim Won-ho, expressed his calm mindset heading into the tournament: "There are high expectations and our own goal is a gold medal, but rather than feeling burdened by the results, I want to play matches without regrets with the confidence built through our preparation."

Shin Yu-bin, who will compete in the mixed doubles—where she aims for gold—as well as the women's singles, doubles, and team events, firmly stated, "I want to win medals in all events. I want to join forces with all my teammates to achieve great results."

Regarding matchups against powerhouse China, she added, "Since not only the Chinese players but athletes from other countries are all strong, we need to prepare steadily starting from our first match. If we face Chinese players, I hope to play another exciting match."

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yu Seung-min, who will depart on the 18th to join the delegation, stated, "I hope our athletes can fully unleash the skills they have accumulated over the hot summer. I kindly ask the public to cheer for our athletes right until the end."

This year's tournament marks the third Asian Games held in Japan, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994, and the first in 32 years.

Although the Asian Games are held once every four years, the previous 2022 Hangzhou Games were postponed by a year and held in 2023 due to the spread of COVID-19, bringing Asia's sports stars back together after three years.

Under the slogan "Imagine One Asia," the upcoming tournament features a total of 469 gold medals across 43 sports and 71 discipline categories.

Approximately 15,000 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) under the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are expected to participate and compete in their skills.

South Korea has formed a delegation of 1,052 people, including 792 athletes, competing across 41 sports, excluding cricket and padel.

With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics two years away, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has set its goals for this tournament—which will serve as a preliminary test—to win 40 to 45 gold medals, maintain third place overall for the third consecutive time following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and 2023 Hangzhou Games, and narrow the gap with host nation Japan, which finished second in both previous tournaments.

Since placing second overall at the 2014 Incheon Games held at home (79 golds, 70 silvers, 79 bronzes), South Korea finished third behind China and Japan at both the Jakarta-Palembang (49 golds, 58 silvers, 70 bronzes) and Hangzhou (42 golds, 59 silvers, 89 bronzes) games.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.