Seoul, Korea, September 4, 2026: The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee held the launch ceremony for the national delegation for the 20th Asian Games at the Jincheon National Training Center on Thursday, September 3, Yonhap News reports.
South Korea will be represented by 792 athletes and 260 officials in 41 out of 43 sports. Lee Sang-hyun, President of the Korea Cycling Federation, will serve as head of the delegation.
The KSOC has said the goal is to win about 45 gold medals and finish inside the top three for the 13th consecutive Asiad.
At this year's competition, South Korea is counting on multiple gold medals in sports such as archery, swimming, shooting, fencing, taekwondo, badminton and modern pentathlon.
The KSOC has also predicted at least one gold medal each from athletics, football, artistic gymnastics and sport climbing, among others.
KSOC President Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Olympic table tennis champion who competed at two Asian Games, noted the unique challenges of this year's Asian Games, with venues spread across Aichi and the conspicuous absence of a designated athletes' village.
"You will have to get accustomed to different circumstances than what you are normally used to, but I believe the strength of our delegation lies in your ability to compete to the best of your abilities regardless of the environment," Ryu said.
"We at the KSOC will do our best to make sure you will be able to focus only on the competition at hand and we will respond to any contingencies as swiftly as possible."
Ryu added that the KSOC would use the Asian Games as an opportunity to promote Korean sports and culture to the rest of the continent and to build relationships with other Asian sports bodies and officials.
"I hope you will wear the national flag on your chest with pride and show people everything you have," Ryu added. "Every challenge you overcome will strengthen the foundation of Korean sports and will inspire our people."
The 20th Asian Games will run from September 19 to October 4 with 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 events.
