Sailors become 1st S. Korean athletes to arrive in Tokyo for Olympics

The South Korean sailing team became the first group of athletes from the country to arrive in Tokyo for the upcoming Summer Olympics on Tuesday. The four-man sailing squad, with Ha Ji-min in the Laser event, Cho Won-woo in the RS:X event, and Park Gun-woo and Cho Sung-min teaming up in the 470 event, landed at Narita International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. They were joined by their two coaches: Song Myung-keun and Ilias Mylonas. Head coach Jin Hong-chul, who had already been in Japan, sa

July 13, 2021

Olympic football team's tuneup matches to be played without spectators

Professional sports games and Olympic football tuneup matches in the greater Seoul area will be played without spectators starting next week, under heightened social distancing rules in place in the region. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) both announced Friday that games in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will be held behind closed doors. Earlier in the day, the government announced it will place Seoul and its nearby regions, cov

July 9, 2021

Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung, teen swimmer Hwang Sun-woo named S. Korean flag-bearers at Tokyo Olympics

The volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung and teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo will carry the South Korean flag at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced the two athletes as the country's flag-bearers Wednesday. The opening ceremony for the 32nd Summer Olympics will take place in the Japanese capital on July 23. Kim, 33, is one of the most popular athletes in South Korea. Long considered one of the world's top female volleyb

July 7, 2021

Olympic baseball team to hold 1st practice on July 20

The South Korean Olympic baseball team will hold its first practice on July 20 in the nation's capital, nine days before launching its gold medal defense. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday the training schedule for the national team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The KBO's pro league will go on an Olympic break from July 19 to Aug. 9, and the Olympic team, comprised entirely of KBO stars, will gather at a Seoul hotel on July 19. The first practice will be July 20 at Goche

July 7, 2021

With roster unveiled, Olympic football team's focus shifts to defense, set pieces

While preparing his players for the Tokyo Summer Games kicking off this month, Kim Hak-bum, head coach of the South Korean men's Olympic team, ran some grueling conditioning drills across two training camps over the past month or so. Kim wanted to ensure his players would be ready to battle in notoriously scorching and humid summer conditions in Japan. Now that he has finalized his 18-man squad -- many of them having been whipped into shape by the coach -- Kim's focus will shift to more tangibl

July 1, 2021

Men's Olympic football roster expands from 18 to 22

The men's football roster at this year's Tokyo Olympics will be expanded from 18 players to 22, the sport's national governing body said Thursday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it received a notification from FIFA late Wednesday announcing the expansion of the squad for the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics. Teams were originally limited to 18 players, with up to four alternates allowed in case of injuries. Under the change, the four alternates will be part of the full squad, but teams can o

July 1, 2021

Badminton doubles duo hoping good history vs. Japan will net Olympic gold

Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong have made a career out of beating Japanese rivals in international women's badminton doubles competitions. And they'd love to have another shot at beating a Japanese tandem for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Kim and Kong are ranked fifth in the world in women's doubles. South Korea also boasts the No. 4-ranked women's doubles team in Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan. Of all badminton disciplines at the Olympics, South Korea should have its best chance o

June 30, 2021

Tokyo-bound LPGA stars appreciate opportunity to compete at Olympics

Park In-bee has accomplished a lot in her LPGA Hall of Fame career, but the gold medal from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics occupies a special place in her heart. Now on the verge of qualifying for her second straight Olympics, Park can't wait to have that experience again. "I've achieved a lot in golf, won a lot of majors, won a lot of tournaments, but winning the gold medal was something really different," Park said at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, on Tuesday (loc

June 23, 2021

Up to 10,000 fans allowed at Tokyo 2020 venues, despite warnings

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Up to 10,000 domestic spectators will be allowed in Tokyo 2020 venues, Olympics organisers said on Monday, a decision that cuts against the recommendation of medical experts who said holding the event without fans was the least risky option. The announcement ends months of speculation and highlights Japan's determination to push on with the Games and salvage the multi-billion-dollar extravaganza amid public opposition and deep concern about a resurgence in infections. The de

June 21, 2021

Im Sung-jae, Kim Si-woo qualify for Olympic men's golf tournament

Former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Im Sung-jae and three-time winner Kim Si-woo have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. On the latest world rankings announced Monday following the US Open, Im was the top South Korean at No. 26. Kim was next at No. 49. For men's golf at the Olympics, the top-15 players in the rankings as of Monday will automatically qualify, with a limit of four golfers per country. Beyond that, a maximum of two players from each country that doesn't already have two or more pla

June 21, 2021

With Tokyo Olympics one month out, S. Korean athletes look to extend successful run

The 32nd edition of the Summer Olympics had to be postponed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the July 23-Aug. 8 event will be the first Olympics to take place in an odd-numbered year. The countdown will reach 30 days Wednesday. Against this backdrop, South Korean athletes, vaccinated and itching to compete after a one-year delay, will try to extend the country's successful run at the Summer Olympics. South Korea has ranked inside the top 10 in medal races at each of the past fo

June 21, 2021

Fueled by retirement talks, shooting legend takes aim at record-breaking medal in Tokyo

At 41, the South Korean Olympic shooting legend Jin Jong-oh knows his time as a competitive athlete may be reaching its end. But he insisted this week he doesn't want to get pushed to that point and that he will call his own shots. Jin will be competing at his fifth Olympics in Tokyo this summer. Over his four appearances, Jin captured four gold medals and two silver medals. He's tied with former archer Kim Soo-nyung for most Olympic medals by a South Korean athlete. To even qualify for the T

June 18, 2021

Players on Olympic football roster bubble looking to prove worth in final test

Young South Korean football players hoping to compete at the Tokyo Summer Games will be raring to take the field Tuesday, when they'll have one last opportunity to build their case for inclusion on the 18-man Olympic squad. Of 28 players at training camp for the men's Olympic football team, 18 saw action in the first of two friendlies against Ghana on Saturday. Head coach Kim Hak-bum had long declared he would use all 28 players across these two matches. But then he added two more players into

June 14, 2021

Park Hee-jun wins S. Korea's first Olympic qualification in karate

South Korean karate practitioner Park Hee-jun has earned the qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Korean to book an Olympic spot in the category, a sports association here said Sunday. Park, 27, qualified for the upcoming games after winning a bronze in male kata at an Olympic qualification tournament that took place in Paris on Saturday (local time), according to the Korea Karate Federation. Kata is a non-sparring karate event in which practitioners demonstrate the Japanes

June 13, 2021

Koreas officially out of running for 2032 Summer Olympics

Seoul's drive for co-hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics with Pyongyang has come to an end, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to name an Australian city as the only candidate up for a member vote next month. Following its Executive Board meeting on Thursday (local time), the IOC said the fate of Brisbane as the host of the 2032 Olympics will be "in the hands" of its members. In what's expected to be a mere formality, those members will vote on Brisbane's c

June 11, 2021

Athletes for Tokyo Olympics to be vaccinated starting this week

Athletes set to participate in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will receive COVID-19 vaccines starting this week, the national sporting committee said Tuesday. Around 100 athletes and coaches will get Pfizer's vaccines as the first recipient group on Thursday, and around 500 others will be inoculated by May 4, according to the Korea Sport and Olympic Committee. About 330 officials and training partners, who are also to take part in the summer games, will be vaccinated in May and

April 27, 2021

[Photo News] Athletes break a sweat as countdown to Tokyo Olympics begins

With the Tokyo Olympics kicking off in less than 100 days, athletes are buckling down for intense training at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province, in the hopes of winning medals.  According to Gracenote, a US sports data analysis company, South Korea is projected to finish 10th overall at the upcoming Olympics with nine gold medals. To reach this goal, athletes from various disciplines are making their best efforts despite the uncertainties of COVID-19. 

April 17, 2021

Rising taekwondo star chases S. Korea's 1st medal at Tokyo Olympics

JINCHEON -- Given that South Korea is the birthplace of taekwondo, it'd be easy to assume the country would simply bulldoze the competition at the Olympic Games. South Korea does lead the all-time taekwondo medal table with 12 gold medals, but the country has been far from dominant in recent years. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, South Korea grabbed two out of eight gold medals, with five other countries also claiming at least a gold. South Korea understands parity in international taekwo

April 15, 2021

Olympic veteran believes fencing team can live up to hype in Tokyo

JINCHEON -- Fencing at the Olympic Games has long been the domain of European countries, but pesky and scrappy underdogs from South Korea have come on strong of late. South Korea's major breakthrough came at the 2012 London Olympics, where it captured two gold, one silver and three bronze medals, trailing only Italy in both the gold medal and the total medal tallies. Medals came from all three disciplines, too, with a silver and a bronze in epee, two bronze medals in foil and two gold medals in

April 15, 2021

S. Korea projected to win 9 gold medals, rank 10th at Tokyo Olympics

South Korea is projected to capture nine gold medals to finish 10th overall at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, a US sports data analysis firm said Thursday. The latest version of the Virtual Medal Table by Gracenote, updated Wednesday with the countdown to the Tokyo Games reaching 100 days, also projected South Korea to add 10 silver and six bronze medals. Gracenote, which updates its medal projections in the leadup to the Olympic Games, didn't offer a sport-by-sport breakdown. In its previous e

April 15, 2021