Culture Ministry Holds Team Korea Launch Ceremony for Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

At 3 p.m. on September 3 at the Jincheon National Training Center Velodrome

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee will hold the 'Team Korea Launch Ceremony for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games' at 3 p.m. on September 3 at the Jincheon National Training Center Velodrome. The ceremony will be broadcast live through the official YouTube channels of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.

Attendees of the ceremony will include Minister Choi Hwiyeong, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee Yoo Seung-min, Team Manager Lee Sanghyun, as well as officials from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and respective sport associations, coaches, and approximately 800 participants, including athlete representatives Oh Sangwook (fencing) and Yeo Seo-jeong (gymnastics). After the ceremony, the athletes will also receive education on anti-doping, safety management, and other key topics.

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan. South Korea will participate in the largest number of events in its Asian Games history, ranging from popular sports such as football and baseball to new events including esports and virtual taekwondo. Out of a total of 43 events, the country will send a delegation of 1,052 athletes across 41 sports, excluding cricket and padel. The main delegation is scheduled to depart on September 17 and return on October 5.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated that it has built a collaborative system with relevant agencies to ensure the safe participation of the delegation. Kim Daehyun, Second Vice Minister of the ministry, will lead a joint task force, which includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Anti-Terror Center, the Ministry of Unification, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, among others. As the athletes’ accommodations will be spread across various locations, such as containers, cruises, and hotels, the ministry and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee plan to establish situation rooms in five separate regions to provide close support to the delegation.

Guidelines for crisis response have also been prepared to ensure a systematic response to any emergencies that may arise during the Games. Athletes and coaches have received advance training on recently updated competition rules for each sport, and each association has distributed sport-specific instructions on how to handle disputes and judging errors.

Support for enhancing athletic performance is ongoing as well. Since January, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee have conducted a survey of needs across each event through the '2026 Aichi-Nagoya Team Korea Care' program and have provided customized training equipment and overseas training for 31 events. There is also an emphasis on condition management using sports medicine and science. This year, a 'return-to-play protocol' was established for the first time at the Jincheon National Training Center Medical Center, delivering tailored medical services for key areas with high injury rates, such as the hamstring muscles in national athletes.

Minister Choi Hwiyeong remarked, "Beyond seeking medals, I hope our athletes will demonstrate their skills without regret and finish the Games in good health. If the public sees our national athletes taking on a variety of challenges and feels inspired to try for themselves, that would be another invaluable legacy of the Asian Games."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.