Back to part-time jobs: Athletes in less popular sports face harsh realities
For athletes in less popular sports, life after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games can be harsh. Once the competition is over, they must return to demanding jobs to make a living. Kim Geon-myeong, 32, a member of Korea’s kabaddi team, worked as a sanitation worker while preparing for the Asian Games, squeezing in training sessions before and after work even after making the national team. He took…
Once the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games conclude, athletes from less popular sports face challenging circumstances. Upon returning from the competition, they must resume demanding jobs to sustain themselves financially. Kim Geon-myeong, a 32-year-old member of Korea's kabaddi team, exemplifies this predicament. Before the Asian Games, he juggled his duties as a sanitation worker with rigorous training sessions, even after securing his spot on the national team.
Kim's journey with kabaddi began under the guidance of Lee Jang-gun, a 34-year-old senior player and university graduate. After Korea's failure to qualify for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Kim contemplated alternative career paths before accepting a job as a sanitation worker for the Geumjeong District Office in Busan.
Korea lacks professional kabaddi teams, making it difficult for national team members to secure full-time employment in their sport. After the Asian Games' success, Korean kabaddi gained public attention, with Lee, its most well-known player, featured on television variety shows. Despite this newfound recognition, the sport's infrastructure remains underdeveloped, leaving athletes in a precarious position after their athletic career concludes.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
