South Korea Sets Asian Games Target of 40 to 45 Gold Medals

South Korea’s athletes are aiming to reclaim a place at the top of Asian sport, with the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games only two weeks away.

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Trust the sweat you have shed and show everything you have prepared without regret.

The team held its send-off ceremony on Sept. 3 at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province. The Games will run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, featuring 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 events. South Korea will compete in 41 sports, excluding the new disciplines of padel and cricket, with 792 athletes. It will mark the country’s widest participation by number of sports at an Asian Games.

The team has set a target of 40 to 45 gold medals. Archery, swimming, shooting, fencing, taekwondo and badminton are each expected to produce at least three golds. South Korea is targeting two or more gold medals in judo, table tennis, modern pentathlon and esports, while also holding medal hopes in athletics, baseball, football, gymnastics, handball, sailing, sepak takraw, sport climbing, wushu, jiu-jitsu and kurash.

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I am truly proud of the athletes who have carried the Taegeuk mark close to their hearts and continued to challenge their limits, as well as the coaches who have quietly stood by them and devoted themselves.

Modern pentathlon could provide the first gold medal. Four titles will be contested the day after the opening ceremony, with Jeon Woong-tae and Seo Chang-wan competing in the men’s event and Seong Seung-min in the women’s event. Jeon, who won South Korea’s first Olympic medal in modern pentathlon, a bronze, said the athletes were determined to win two golds in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Shooting, swimming and fencing will follow in the early medal schedule. Ban Hyo-jin could also complete a career Grand Slam in the women’s 10-meter air rifle, covering the Asian Games, Olympics and world championships.

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All the athletes have a fierce look in their eyes. We will return with two gold medals each in the men’s and women’s events.

The team’s preparation includes an unusual logistical challenge: venues and accommodation are spread across several areas. Korea Sports & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min said athletes would need to adapt to a different athlete-village arrangement, including cruise ships and container-style lodging. Even so, the ceremony offered a lighter moment as athletes reacted with admiration when esports star Faker appeared in a presentation introducing the sports. They will now travel to Aichi and Nagoya carrying individual ambitions and the national team’s medal target.

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Because the athlete village is being operated in a different form from previous competitions, adapting to an unfamiliar environment will be difficult.