INCHEON– The main South Korean athletic delegation to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics departed for the Chinese capital Monday, hoping to inspire the nation gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic with performances on snow and ice.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Monday’s traveling team had 41 athletes and 30 officials.
Overall, South Korea will have its third-largest Winter Olympics delegation with 64 athletes competing in six out of seven sports, with hockey being the exception. Beijing 2022 will open Friday.
Speaking to reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, KSOC President Lee Kee-heung said safety should take precedence over everything else.
“We hope that our athletes will all stay healthy and safe, first and foremost, and that people will be behind them throughout the competition,” Lee said.
Athletes for cross-country skiing, luge and short track speed skating had left for Beijing earlier. On Monday, speed skaters, biathletes, and sliders for bobsleigh and skeleton will join them.
The KSOC has set a modest goal of winning one or two gold medals and finishing around the top 15 in the medal race. South Korea has won at least two gold medals at every Winter Olympics since 1992.
Short track speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy and speed skater Kim Min-sun will be the flag bearers at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Source: Yonhap News Agency