Shaking Off the Pain of Hangzhou... Men's and Women's Handball Teams Aim to Reclaim the Top at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

Aiming for Gold: Men Seek First Title in 16 Years, Women in 8 Years

Jo Youngshin: "This Is the Peak Era for the Men's Team"

Lee Gyecheong: "Strengthening Defense to Counter Japan"

"The results of the last tournament were quite disappointing, but this time we will do our utmost to reclaim the top spot in Asia." (Men’s national handball team head coach Youngshin Jo)

"We suffered a big defeat against Japan at the Hangzhou Asian Games, so we are determined that we cannot fail a second time." (Women’s national handball team head coach Gyecheong Lee)

The men’s and women’s national handball teams are setting out to restore their pride as Asia’s best at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Men's national handball team coach Youngshin Jo is speaking about his determination at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games handball team media day held on the 9th at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

Korean handball has long maintained its dominance at the Asian Games. Since handball became an official event at the 1982 New Delhi Games, the men’s team has collected the most gold medals—six in total—including a streak of five consecutive wins from the 1986 Seoul to the 2002 Busan Games. However, since the 2010 Guangzhou Games, they have not reached the top, and at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, they failed to advance to the semifinals for the first time ever.

Women’s handball became an official event at the 1990 Beijing Games. The women’s national team has claimed gold medals at every tournament except for the 2010 Guangzhou and 2022 Hangzhou Games. In particular, they achieved five consecutive victories from the 1990 Beijing to the 2006 Doha Games, dominating the Asian stage. However, in the Hangzhou final, they suffered a heavy 19-29 defeat to Japan and had to settle for silver.

With the aim of restoring its honor, the Korea Handball Federation has brought back the so-called "championship specialists." Youngshin Jo, who led the men’s team to victory at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, has been appointed as men’s head coach, and Gyecheong Lee, who guided the women’s team to gold at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, has been named as the women’s head coach. Since May, both teams have been dedicating themselves to intensive training camps in pursuit of reclaiming the gold.

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games media day held at the Jincheon National Training Center in Chungbuk on September 9, Coach Jo stated, "For about four months, we have prepared for the tournament through a systematic and intensive regimen, splitting our sessions into early morning, morning, and afternoon." He added confidently, "Currently, the Korean team’s strength is the best in Asia."

The men's national handball team players are conducting an open training session at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games handball team media day held on the 9th at the Jinchun National Training Center in Jincheon-gun, Chungbuk. Photo by Yonhap News

The women's national handball team players are conducting an open training session on the 9th at the Jinchun National Training Center in Jinchun County, Chungbuk, during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games handball team media day. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the men’s side, the champions will be decided through group stage matches and a knockout tournament. Korea has been placed in Group B alongside Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, and Kazakhstan, with Kuwait and Iran considered tough opponents. Coach Jo especially emphasized the importance of the first match against Kuwait. Earlier this year, in the final round of the Asian Men’s Handball Championship held in Kuwait in January, Korea lost to Kuwait 27-31 and missed out on the semifinals.

Coach Jo reflected, "At that time, there was the influence of home advantage, and since the match took place in the middle of the H League, the players had only about ten days to coordinate with each other." He further explained, "At that point, neither current captain Minho Ha nor 2024–2025 H League MVP and top scorer Kwangsoon Park were able to join the team." He expressed his confidence by adding, "As four players have since been replaced and the team’s strength has improved, I believe now is the peak period for the national team."

Captain Minho Ha affirmed, "We are focusing on practicing the fast transitions and passing offense the coach seeks to implement," and added, "I will do my best to lead the squad so that Korean handball can reclaim the top spot in Asia."

For the women’s tournament, with seven teams competing, the medals will be decided by a round-robin league without knockout rounds. Coach Lee assessed that while every game is important, the final match against Japan will effectively be the championship decider. He warned of the advantage for host nation Japan, saying, "Since the tournament will be held in Japan, I expect various difficult circumstances."

Korea has recently ceded two crucial contests to Japan—first with a 10-point loss in the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, and again in the Asian Women’s Handball Championship final held in New Delhi, India in December 2024, where they were narrowly defeated 24-25.

Women’s handball national team captain Hanna Kwon is expressing her determination at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Media Day held on the 9th at the National Training Center in Jincheon, Chungbuk. From left: Coach Yeonho Jung, player Hanna Kwon, head coach Gyecheong Lee, coach Ilgoo Kang, and player Eunhee Ryu. Korea Handball Federation

Coach Lee’s solution is focused on defense. He explained, "We identified defense as the reason for our loss against Japan and have devoted much of our training to strengthening this area," adding, "We have also selected defensive specialists and plan to field four to five players in central defense."

The centerpiece of the attack is world-class scorer Eunhee Ryu, the team’s most veteran player. Since 2019, she has played in Europe, including France and Hungary, before returning to the domestic league last year. She has won two golds and one each of silver and bronze in the European Champions League. In the Asian Games, apart from missing the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games due to injury, she has participated in the last three tournaments from the 2010 Guangzhou Games, winning a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal.

Eunhee Ryu declared, "If I win gold at this tournament, I will have two golds, one silver, and one bronze—the same as my European Champions League results." She added with determination, "I will give it my all, treating this as my final opportunity."

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