South Korea's disabled athletes on Tuesday vowed to put in their utmost efforts at the upcoming Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Some 300 athletes and officials were gathered for a team launch ceremony at Olympic Parktel in Seoul, along with Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and Kim Jong-deok, minister of culture, sports and tourism. South Korea will send a delegation of 81 athletes and 58 officials in 11 sports for the Sept. 7-18 Rio Paralympics.
"I believe our athletes will show their best performances and see the fruits of their efforts," Hwang said. "The government will actively support athletes to play their sports in a better environment."
South Korea will aim to win 10 gold medals and a top-12 finish in Rio, also the site of the Olympic Games. The country bagged nine gold medals at the London Paralympics four years ago and finished 12th.
Kim Sung-il, the president of the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled (KOSAD), said athletes are looking forward to competing in Rio.
"The event is less than 40 days away, but we are determined to put in our utmost efforts until the end," Kim said.
The athletes have been training since January at the KOSAD's training center in Icheon, some 80km south of Seoul. The KOSAD said it reinforced training programs and medical supports so that the athletes can have better training to develop their game skills.
The KOSAD said the athletes will depart for Atlanta on Aug. 23 and will train in the U.S. city about a week before entering Brazil.
(Yonhap)