(Asiad) Nat'l sports chief says S. Korea must learn from experience in Nagoya

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's national sports chief, Ryu Seung-min, said on Sunday that the country should learn from its experiences at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where it finished third with 39 gold medals. This marks the third consecutive Asian Games where South Korea has fallen short of its gold medal target.

China dominated the competition with 169 gold medals, while Japan secured the most with 83 gold medals. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee set a goal of winning 40 to 50 gold medals, but struggled in traditional sports like archery and taekwondo. Ryu emphasized that it is not just China and Japan that are improving rapidly, as teams from Central and Southeast Asia are also making significant progress.

The KSOC will conduct a detailed analysis of the results and examine factors affecting athletes' performance, such as training systems and sports science. Despite facing various challenges, including operational issues, South Korean athletes showed resilience, and Ryu believes the experience gained from the Asian Games will be beneficial for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.