North Korea to Dispatch Delegation of Over 100 Athletes Across 14 Events to Nagoya Asian Games

North Korea will dispatch a delegation of over 100 athletes across 14 events, including football, weightlifting, and boxing, to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games opening next month.

Ko Chol-ho, secretary-general of North Korea's National Olympic Committee (NOC), revealed this in an interview with Choson Sinbo, the organ of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon), today (the 25th), stating that while the delegation size and number of events are smaller than the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in China, he expects to win more medals.

North Korea registered a total delegation of 185 athletes across 18 events for the Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023.

Secretary-General Ko also introduced that two Korean-Japanese athletes, women's football player Ri Song-ah and karate player Jong Se-ri, will participate in this competition.

"Athletes, coaches, and officials in the sports sector have been preparing for the past four years to bring about greater achievements," Ko emphasized, adding, "With the burning desire to repay the expectations of our country and people with even better athletic performances in this competition, we are making every effort."

North Korea did not send its delegation to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and other events citing the fallout from the spread of COVID-19.

It returned to comprehensive international competitions after five years at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China in 2023, performing well by winning a total of 39 medals, including 11 gold, 18 silver, and 10 bronze medals.

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