"No Broadcast for Us?" Meeting the Unsung Heroes of 'Unpopular Sports'… "It Hurts to See How Poorly Equipped We Are!" The Reality of National Athletes Ignored by Broadcasters / Nagoya Check-In Finale

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have come to a close. It was an Asian Games plagued by more trouble and controversy than ever before. Having spent the past 18 days covering every corner of the Asian Games up close and breathing alongside our national athletes, the moments that linger most in my heart are those spent with athletes classified under "unpopular sports" who did not even receive television broadcasts. From kabaddi, once a powerhouse sport that now struggles even to conduct proper training, to kurash, which won medals despite abysmal conditions, and teqball, which accompanied the SBS reporting team for the longest time. As we conclude our Asian Games journey, the final check-in by SBS reporter Kim Taewon tells the stories of national athletes in "unpopular sports" who perhaps had the most desperate reasons to win a medal, yet were never once caught on a broadcast camera. The final story of Nagoya Check-In starts now.

(Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Yang Hyun-chul | Written by Jin Sang-myung | Video Editing by Jung Yong-hee | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.