Korean wrestling president announces pork gift hampers for Asian Games medallists

The Korea Wrestling Federation (KWF) President, Kim Ik-heon, has taken an unconventional approach to support his wrestling team headed to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. In a bid to boost the morale of his wrestlers, Kim has announced that gold medalists would receive a pork gift-set every month for two years, while silver and bronze medalists would receive the same set monthly for one year, half the duration of the gold winners.

This initiative comes from Kim's ownership of Sankjuyakgan, a pork processing plant based in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. The plant specializes in a chilled pork processing technique known as persimmon-fed pork (Gam-meogun-doeji), developed in collaboration with Kyungpook National University. Kim's announcement came after a series of setbacks, including a breakdown at the see-off ceremony, where wrestling coaches, a former Olympic champion, and wrestlers expressed their concerns regarding the team's bleak medal prospects due to issues like corruption and demotivated athletes.

In an impassioned speech, Kim criticized the lack of concern from instructors and mental struggles of athletes, emphasizing that they cannot merely say they will bounce back. He urged everyone to introspect. The KWF has set its sights on winning at least one gold medal, one silver, and six bronze medals during the upcoming Asian Games.

However, Korean wrestling has been in a slump since the Rio Games, failing to medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the first time since 1972. The national team's performance at the 2023 Asiad in Hangzhou was equally dismal, securing just two bronze medals, their worst performance in 57 years.

In response to the dire situation, An Han-bong, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist and current coach, broke down in tears urging his athletes to turn the script at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The wrestlers, showing determination, vowed to overcome their challenges and deliver medals. At the Jincheon National Training Center, Han-bong emphasized the team's desperation and urged the athletes to prove that Korean wrestling is not dead.

As they prepare for the event, injured wrestlers like Chung Han-jae and Kim Min-seok, who won bronze in the men's 130kg Greco-Roman event at the last Asian Games, are reminded of their goal to celebrate their victories by wrapping their bodies in the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi.