Seoul, Korea, August 20, 2026: Korean wrestling has fallen on hard times lately, Yonhap News reports.
Korea was shut out of the medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - the first time it had failed to reach the podium since 1972 - and also failed to grab a medal at Paris 2024.
In 2023, Korea managed just two bronze medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games - its worst Asian Games performance in 57 years.
An Han-bong, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist who now coaches the national team, fought back tears as he implored his athletes to change the narrative next month at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
“We have our backs against the wall," An said at the Jincheon National Training Center. "I hope our athletes will go out and prove that Korean wrestling is not dead."
Korea Wrestling Federation President Kim Ik-heon outlined the problems in the wrestling programme.
"People in the sport have only been worried about their vested interests; instructors have been too casual in their response, and athletes have been a mess mentally," Kim said.
"We cannot afford to just keep saying we will get back on our feet. We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror."
To further motivate the downtrodden team, KWF President Kim, who also runs a pork processing company, is offering pork products to medalists.
He said gold medalists would receive a pork gift set every month for two years, and silver and bronze medal winners would receive the gift every month for one year.
The KWF has set its sights on winning at least one gold medal, one silver and six bronze medals at this year's Asian Games, which will run from September 19 to October 4.
(Yonhap News)
