Baseball team to open Asian Games camp 1 week before tournament

The South Korean national baseball team will commence training for the upcoming Asian Games a week prior to the competition's start in Japan, according to an official. The team, consisting of players from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), is set to begin training camp on September 14 and depart for Nagoya on September 17. The KBO regular season will not be suspended during the Asian Games, and athletes selected for the national team will continue playing for their respective clubs until September 13 before reporting for their Asian Games commitment.

The baseball tournament will be held from September 21 to 27 at Okazaki Central Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, approximately 35 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, and Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Toyohashi, around 60 kilometers southeast of Nagoya. Headed by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, South Korea aims to secure its fifth consecutive gold medal.

In the preliminary round, South Korea will face Group B opponents Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Thailand. The team's opening match against Chinese Taipei is scheduled for September 21 at 6:30 p.m. in Okazaki. Group A comprises Japan, China, the Philippines, and Palestine. Following round-robin play, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Round.

Japan usually fields semi-professional players, with only one gold medal to their name, won as the host nation in 1994 in Hiroshima. Chinese Taipei is viewed as South Korea's most formidable competitor in the Asian Games. They have yet to finalize their roster but are anticipated to field players from U.S. and Japanese minor leagues.

Historically, South Korea and Chinese Taipei have met in three of the last four Asian Games finals, with South Korea victorious in both encounters. All South Korean male athletes who have not yet fulfilled their military obligations will receive an exemption by winning a gold medal in the Asian Games. Following years of scrutiny for choosing less deserving and older players to meet the exemption criteria, the KBO, the governing body of professional baseball in South Korea, started selecting younger players at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

For this year's tournament, the KBO has chosen 21 players under 25, along with three wildcard players aged between 25 and 29. Manager Ryu recently visited Taiwan to observe games in the Chinese Professional Baseball League and plans to travel to Tokyo later this month to scout Asian Games-bound players at a semi-professional tournament.