Korea calls on athletes to do country proud at Asian Games in Japan

As the 2026 Asian Games approach in Japan, South Korea has urged its athletes to bring honor to the country at this quadrennial event. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) organized a ceremony to launch the national delegation for the 20th Asian Games, set to take place from September 19 to October 4 in and around Nagoya, the capital city of Aichi prefecture in Japan. Nagoya will host the main games.

The Korean delegation will comprise 792 athletes and 260 officials across 41 out of the 43 sports being contested. Lee Sang-hyun, president of the Korea Cycling Federation, has been appointed as the head of the delegation. Around 800 athletes and officials were present for the ceremony on Thursday at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, located about 85 kilometers south of Seoul.

The KSOC has set ambitious goals for the event, aiming to secure about 45 gold medals and achieve a top three finish, marking their 13th consecutive Asiad finish in the top three. Japan and China are considered the "big three" in the Asian Games, with China historically dominating medal tallies and Japan having succeeded Korea at each of the past two editions, securing second place.