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South Korean fencer wins Asian title despite equipment shortage due to protest
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

South Korean fencer wins Asian title despite equipment shortage due to protest

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • South Korean fencer Oh Sang-uk won the men's saber individual gold medal at the Asian Championships in New Delhi.
  • The victory was achieved despite the national team facing significant logistical challenges, including borrowed equipment due to a protest blocking access to their training venue.
  • The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism praised the athletes' resilience and determination under adverse conditions.

South Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Choi Whee-young, lauded the national fencing team, particularly Oh Sang-uk, for winning the men's saber individual gold at the Asian Championships in New Delhi. The victory is seen as a testament to the strength of "K-fencing" despite facing considerable adversity.

Oh Sang-uk, an Olympic gold medalist, defeated Luo Shai-tong of China 15-8 in the final on June 19th, reclaiming the Asian Championship title he last held in 2022. His teammate Do Gyeong-dong also secured a bronze medal in the same event.

The power of K-fencing shone once again. Oh Sang-uk won the gold medal in the men's saber individual final at the Asian Championships. Do Gyeong-dong won the bronze medal. I am proud and pleased.

— Choi Whee-youngThe Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism praised the fencers' achievements.

The team's triumph is particularly remarkable given the circumstances. Access to the Korea National Training Center's handball gymnasium in Seoul, where the Korean Fencing Association is based, was blocked due to protests related to a shortage of ballots for the June 3 local elections. This blockade prevented athletes from retrieving their personal equipment, including their fencing blades.

It is truly commendable that they competed without being able to properly prepare their personal equipment, such as fencing blades, due to the blockade of the Olympic Park handball stadium by some protesters.

— Choi Whee-youngThe Minister highlighted the difficult conditions under which the athletes competed.

Consequently, the South Korean fencers had to borrow equipment from their respective teams to compete. Minister Choi expressed deep appreciation for the athletes' performance under such difficult conditions, stating, "It is truly commendable that they competed without being able to properly prepare their personal equipment, such as fencing blades, due to the blockade of the Olympic Park handball stadium by some protesters." He also noted that the fencing association executives had to pool personal funds to cover participation and hotel fees due to financial transactions being frozen by the office closures.

"I am grateful to everyone, and also sorry," Minister Choi added. "I expect our athletes to achieve the best results in the remaining matches."

I am grateful to everyone, and also sorry. I expect our athletes to achieve the best results in the remaining matches.

— Choi Whee-youngThe Minister expressed gratitude and anticipation for the team's future performance.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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