"Maybe I Could Have Won Gold If I Went to the Athletes' Village"... The Bitter Reality of National Athletes

○ [News Story] 2026 Asian Games, "We Are Also National Athletes" (Broadcasted on September 5, 2026)

Kim Geon-myung puts on his work clothes and heads to work at a district office in Busan. Kim, who has been working as a sanitation worker for 8 years, is a national "kabaddi" athlete competing in the upcoming Asian Games. After finishing his morning shift, he rushes to the training ground, goes back to work in the afternoon, and heads to the training ground once again after getting off work, continuing a grueling routine. As there are no corporate kabaddi teams in South Korea, it is difficult to make a living solely through an athletic career. Because the national team members must balance their respective livelihoods with training, it is not even easy for them to gather together and secure training time.

Reported by Jung Jun-hyung | Produced by Kim Da-yeon | Video by Won Jin-hee | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.