Nat'l sports chief says S. Korea must learn from experience in Nagoya

NAGOYA, Japan — With South Korea having fallen short of its gold medal target at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the national sports chief said Sunday the country should embrace lessons learned from the continental competition in various aspects.

South Korea finished in third place for the third consecutive Asian Games with 39 gold medals, with China once again running roughshod over the competition with 169 gold medals and the host country Japan collecting 83 gold medals, the most it has won at an Asian Games.

Prior to the competition, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) had set sights on winning around 40 to 50 gold medals and narrowing the gap with Japan -- after losing in the gold medal race 75-49 in 2018 and then 52 to 42 in 2023.

Struggles in traditional gold mines such as archery and taekwondo hurt South Korea in the medal race, KSOC President Ryu Seung-min said.

"It is no longer just China and Japan; teams from Central and Southeast Asia are improving rapidly," Ryu said at a press conference with South Korean media in Nagoya. "It is true that we did not live up to expectations in some sports. And this was an important occasion for us to see where we stand with the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles two years away. We at the KSOC will carry out a detailed analysis on results here and take a look at all the elements that can affect athletes' performances, such as training systems and sports science."

Ryu also chose to look on the bright side of things.

"We also achieved meaningful feats and discovered new possibilities across the board," he said. "The color and number of medals alone cannot aptly capture all the work that has gone into preparing for this competition."

Ryu then cited success in team sports such as basketball, baseball and football, and acknowledged new champions in sports such as modern pentathlon, skateboarding and the brand new Asiad sport teqball.

"In the days leading up to this event, I stressed that this Asiad would be a key part of the buildup process for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics," Ryu said. "We will listen more closely to athletes and coaches as we move forward, and make sure we present a stronger version of Team Korea in LA."

Ryu, who gave the Asiad organizing committee a failing grade on Sept. 24 over a series of operational issues, declined to offer further commentary on the subject, saying the competition was about to end and he saw no point beating a dead horse.

The South Korean men's basketball team, for instance, had to cancel its shootaround the morning of the gold medal game against Japan last month because a shuttle that had been assigned to take the team to the training facility did not show up. Before that, South Korean and Qatari men's football teams were taken to a baseball stadium instead of their match venue for their opening group stage match, and arrived at the football stadium some 30 minutes later than scheduled.

In addition, the North Korean anthem was played before a South Korean men's field hockey game, while South Korea has been introduced as the "Republic of China" at medal ceremonies.

Lee Sang-hyun, chef de mission for South Korea in Nagoya, said even his prior experience with the national delegation at the 2023 Asian Games and the 2024 Olympics had not prepared him for what transpired in Nagoya.

"I felt the KSOC responded as well as possible, but I also thought we will need to educate our athletes even more to help them stay prepared for contingencies during competitions," Lee said. "Our athletes dealt with so many difficulties but all the officials and coaches did their best to keep them focused on the task at hand.

Ryu chose to look forward Sunday, noting that South Korea will host a major international competition next summer, the Summer World University Games, in the central Chungcheong region.

"I think watching how this year's Asian Games were run here taught us a key lesson on how we should prepare for the World University Games," Ryu said. "For such a large sporting event, I think the KSOC and the government, plus other agencies, must all work together. Fortunately, I think people all understand we cannot afford to make the same mistakes from some of the past competitions."