North Korea to send 9 wrestlers to 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
Summary
North Korea will send nine wrestlers to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with entries in men’s Greco-Roman, men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle. The lineup includes world No. 1 Han Chong-song and several medal contenders. The country is also planning a delegation of roughly 100 athletes, about 40 percent smaller than at the previous Asian Games, while increasing its wrestling roster by one athlete.
Key Facts
- North Korea’s wrestling team includes two men’s Greco-Roman wrestlers, two men’s freestyle wrestlers and five women’s freestyle wrestlers.
- Han Chong-song will compete in the men’s 57-kilogram freestyle class and is ranked No. 1 in the world.
- North Korea won seven medals, including one gold, at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and seven medals again at last year’s world championships.
- The country plans to send about 100 athletes to this year’s Asian Games, a reduction of about 40 percent from the previous edition, even as its wrestling contingent rises by one athlete.
North Korean wrestler Han Chong-song, center, will compete in the men's 57 kg class Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Captured from United World Wrestling's website
North Korea will send nine athletes to compete in wrestling at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
According to the United World Wrestling (UWW) on Thursday, North Korea has entered two wrestlers in men's Greco-Roman wrestling — Ryu Yu-chol in the 60-kilogram class, ranked No. 51 in the world, and Son Man-kwang in the 67kg class, ranked No. 49.
In men's freestyle, world No. 1 Han Chong-song will compete in the 57kg class, while Kim Kwang-jin, ranked No. 14, will compete in the 65kg class.
North Korea's women's freestyle lineup includes Kim Son-hyang in the 50kg class, ranked No. 19; Choe Hyo-gyong in the 53kg class, ranked No. 7; Son Il-sim in the 57kg class, ranked No. 3; Kim Ok-ju in the 62kg class, ranked No. 3; and Pak Sol-gum in the 68kg class, ranked No. 10.
North Korea, which has emerged as a wrestling powerhouse since making rapid strides on the international stage in the late 2010s, won seven medals — one gold, three silver and three bronze — at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. At last year's world championships, the country again claimed seven medals, including three golds, two silvers and two bronzes.
Although North Korea plans to send a delegation of roughly 100 athletes to this year's Asian Games, a reduction of about 40 percent from the previous edition, it has increased its wrestling contingent by one athlete. The team is considered capable of winning three or more gold medals.
Han is considered one of North Korea's strongest gold medal contenders. Last year, he was named UWW's Asian Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, drawing international attention for his performances.
Han has demonstrated his dominance by defeating Bekzat Almaz Uulu of Kyrgyzstan, the world's No. 3-ranked wrestler in the weight class, in both the final of the world championships and the semifinal of the Asian championships.
Veteran Kim Son-hyang, who won a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Championships, is also expected to contend for gold. She is set for a fierce battle with Yui Susaki of Japan, who won gold at the same championships.
Choe Hyo-gyong is another medal contender. She won bronze at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 World Championships. She also captured gold at the 2025 Asian Championships.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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