Sepak Takraw National Teams Invite Thai Squads for Final Tune-Up Ahead of Asian Games

The South Korean men's and women's sepak takraw national teams have invited a team from Thailand for a final tune-up ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The Korea Sepak Takraw Association announced that it is hosting a Thai delegation for joint training with the national team from today (Sept. 7) through September 12 at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province, as part of the 2026 Overseas Elite Athlete Invitation Training Program.

This training session was arranged to enhance the national teams' match fitness and tactical operation skills through exchanges with world-class players ahead of this year's Asian Games.

Six male athletes from Thailand's naval team and six female athletes from the Honda team are participating.

Thailand is the undisputed global powerhouse in sepak takraw.

Following their arrival today, the Thai delegation entered the Jincheon National Training Center and officially kicked off their schedule with an afternoon training session.

Starting tomorrow, joint training sessions, practice matches, position-specific tactical drills, and technical exchanges will take place.

Kim Jong-heun, head coach of the men's national team, and Kwak Sung-ho, head coach of the women's national team, stated, "Since Thai players possess fast attack progression and high scoring efficiency, this joint training is a great opportunity to check international-level match tempos and tactical responses." They added, "Through practice matches, we will fine-tune detailed aspects of our performance, such as serve receives, defensive transitions, and attacking power, to elevate our competitive edge in preparation for the main stage of the Asian Games."

The South Korean national team will depart for Japan on September 17 to compete in the Asian Games.

(Photo provided by the Korea Sepak Takraw Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.