Women's Volleyball Fails to Win AG Medal... "Brought to Tears by Referee Decisions"

Tears in the Aichi-Nagoya Bronze Medal Match

Swept 0-3 by Thailand, Missed Out on Medal for Second Straight Tournament

Questionable Officiating, Kang Sohui Scores 10 Points

The South Korean women's national volleyball team failed to win a medal in consecutive Asian Games tournaments.

On September 22, South Korea (ranked 28th in the world), led by head coach Sanghyun Cha, lost to Thailand (ranked 13th) by a score of 0-3 (20-25, 19-25, 23-25) in the bronze medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Sanghyun Cha, head coach of the Korean women's volleyball team, and captain Sohui Kang are protesting a referee decision during the bronze medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 22nd at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Komaki=Yonhap News Agency

South Korea had earned medals in three consecutive tournaments—the bronze medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games, and the bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games—but finished fifth at the 2022 Hangzhou Games held in 2023, and fourth this year. This marks the third time that the South Korean women's volleyball team has failed to win a medal at the Asian Games since women's volleyball became an official event at the 1962 Jakarta Games.

The match's momentum was disrupted by a series of questionable decisions by main referee Yuliya Akulova (Kazakhstan). South Korea led 8-5 early in the first set, but when Dain Kim (Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate) attempted to block a push attack from the opposing team, the referee called an over-the-net violation. Head coach Cha protested, but the call was not overturned. Even at 8-7, referee Akulova penalized Dain Kim for a catch ball foul. Once again, coach Cha strongly protested, but to no avail.

The South Korean women's national volleyball team players are expressing their regret after losing to Thailand in the bronze medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 22nd at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Komaki=Yonhap News Agency

South Korea struggled to effectively respond to the diverse attacks orchestrated by Thai setter Pornpun Guedpard (formerly known as "Pornpun" during her time in the V-League with IBK Industrial Bank of Korea). In the second set, poor reception contributed to the team's collapse. South Korea put up a close fight in the third set, tying the score at 22-22, but then Seyoung Yuk's (IBK Industrial Bank of Korea) consecutive attack attempts went out of bounds, costing the team its momentum. Team captain Sohui Kang (Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-Pass) scored 10 points.

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