South Korea's top sports body said Thursday it will chase third place in the medal race at the Hangzhou Asian Games next month, an unusually modest goal for one of the continent's sporting powers.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) marked the 30-day countdown to the Sept. 23-Oct. 8 competition with a media day at the Jincheon National Training Center in the central county of Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. KSOC President Lee Kee-heung was joined by nearly a dozen Hangzhou-bound athletes at a joint press conference, with swimming, taekwondo, fencing and table tennis teams scheduled to hold open training sessions later in the day.
Lee said South Korea's goal is to win between 45 and 50 gold medals to finish in third place, with the host country China expected to run away with first place and Japan likely to take second place.
South Korea had finished in second behind China at every Asian Games from 1998 to 2014, but the streak came to an end in 2018 in Indonesia, where South Korea ended in third behind China and Japan.
South Korea won 49 gold medals, its lowest total since 1982.
Lee said South Korea is in the midst of a transition and it will take longer than expected for the country to return to its glory days.
"The biggest issue for us is we're trying to usher in a new generation of athletes, and they won't be medal contenders overnight," Lee said. "Before the Tokyo Olympics, Japan made massive investments in sports, about 10 times more than we did, but I also believe we're closing the gap."
South Korea won 26 fewer gold medals than Japan at the 2018 Asiad, and Lee said the number could be cut by as many as 10.
By sports, the KSOC is counting on six gold medals each from swimming and archery, followed by four each from fencing, taekwondo and modern pentathlon.
The country will also try to win gold medals in sport climbing, esports and roller skating.
South Korea is set to send its largest-ever Asian Games delegation, with 1,140 athletes and officials competing in 39 out of 40 sports.
Jang Jae-keun, head of the National Training Center, said he has been trying to whip athletes back into proper mental and physical shape. He has brought back mandatory early morning runs, which had been optional in recent years, and all athletes training here must also take part in mountain running once every two weeks.
"Early morning runs may not immediately improve athletes' performance in their sports, but it can strengthen their focus," said Jang, a former sprinter with two Asian Games gold medals to his credit. "I think athletes have adjusted to our new regimen."
Choi Yoon, president of the Korea Rugby Union who will serve as chef de mission for South Korea in Hangzhou, said he will try to make South Korean people proud.
"We'll keep an eye out for any rule changes, so that our athletes won't be at a disadvantage," Choi added. "We're also preparing ourselves to respond to any officiating issues that may arise during the Asian Games. But first and foremost, our coaches and athletes must be on top of any new rules."
North Korea will make its return to international multisport competition in Hangzhou, after missing the Summer Olympics in 2021 and then the Winter Olympics in 2022 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two Koreas had marched in together at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games, and fielded joint teams in canoeing, rowing and women's basketball.
Given the current state of inter-Korean ties, the Koreas are unlikely to join hands again in Hangzhou.
"We could have an opportunity to connect with North Korean officials at some point in Hangzhou," Lee said, adding that he is holding out hopes of North Korea's participation in the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics taking place in South Korea.
Source: Yonhap News Agency