'Team Korea Sets Sights on 40+ Gold Medals at Asian Games Send-Off Ceremony... President Lee Vows Full Support to the End'

2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games to Open on September 19

1,052 Athletes to Compete in 41 Sports, Excluding Cricket and Padel

"The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will serve as a stage to witness the present and future of Asian sports all in one place. The government will stand with you until the end, helping you compete in the best possible condition and finish the event safely. I sincerely support the brilliant challenges of all our national team athletes."

On September 3, at the Jincheon Velodrome in Chungbuk, President Lee Jaemyung delivered a message of encouragement to the national team through a congratulatory speech, which was read on his behalf by Choi Heeyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, during the "2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games Korea National Team Commitment Ceremony."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hee-young is reading President Lee Jae-myung's congratulatory speech at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Commitment Ceremony held at the Jincheon Athletes' Village in Chungbuk on the 3rd. Photo by Yonhap News

The Korean national team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which has set a target of winning at least 40 gold medals and finishing third overall, pledged to do their best at the commitment ceremony. More than 800 people attended the event, including Minister Choi, Seungmin Yoo, President of the Korean Olympic Committee, Sanghyun Lee, National Team Leader, officials from the Korean Olympic Committee and individual sporting bodies, coaches, and athlete representatives such as Oh Sangwook (fencing) and Yeo Seojeong (gymnastics).

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City, Japan. Korea will participate in the largest number of events in Asian Games history, ranging from sports with widespread national support such as football and baseball to newly added disciplines such as esports and virtual taekwondo. Out of a total of 43 events, Korea will dispatch 1,052 athletes to 41 events, excluding cricket and padel. The main delegation will depart on September 17 and return on October 5.

With the games being held in Japan, it is expected to be difficult to outperform the host nation, which has the home advantage. The Korean Olympic Committee has set a goal of winning at least 40 gold medals to minimize the gap with Japan. Since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, Korea has finished third behind Japan at every event. However, the gold medal gap, which peaked at 30 (Korea 45 vs. Japan 75) at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang event, was reduced to 10 (Korea 42 vs. Japan 52) at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has established a collaborative system with relevant agencies to ensure the safe participation of the national team. Kim Daehyun, the Second Vice Minister, leads a joint preparation team that includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Counter-Terrorism Center, the Ministry of Unification, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. In particular, as the athletes' village is distributed across several locations—including containers, cruise ships, and hotels—for this event, the ministry and the Korean Olympic Committee will set up five regional operations centers to provide close support for the delegation.

On the 3rd, at the Jincheon National Training Center in Chungbuk, a ceremony for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games was held, where Hwee-young Choi, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seungmin Yoo, President of the Korean Olympic Committee, Sanghyun Lee, Team Leader, and participating athletes took a commemorative photo. Photo by Yonhap News

A comprehensive manual has been prepared to systematically respond to any crisis situations that may arise during the games. Each sporting federation has provided athletes and coaches with advance training on recently revised competition rules, and distributed sport-specific guidelines that outline steps to take in the event of an officiating error.

Support for athletic performance enhancement is also ongoing. Since January, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Olympic Committee have surveyed the needs of each sport and provided tailored training equipment and overseas training camps for 31 events through the "2026 Aichi-Nagoya Team Korea Care" initiative. Athlete condition management using sports medicine and science will be further strengthened. This year, the Jincheon Athletes' Village Medical Center established a "Return-to-Play Protocol" for the first time, and provides customized medical services focused on areas where national athletes are most prone to injury, such as the hamstring.

Seungmin Yoo, President of the Korean Olympic Committee and a two-time Asian Games competitor, pledged to support younger athletes so they can rise to the challenge without regret. Yoo said, "If you demonstrate Korea's strength in the arena, the Korean Olympic Committee will steadfastly support your challenge both on and off the field," offering words of encouragement.

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