South Korea team headquarters departs for Paris… “We will bring joy to the people”｜Dong-A Ilbo

The Korean main team, aiming for five gold medals and 15th place in the overall standings, left for Paris, France on the 20th to participate in the finals.

A total of 48 athletes, including senior executives of the Korea Sports Promotion Association (18 people), fencing (20 people), and table tennis (10 people), boarded a flight to Paris via Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 20th.

They are expected to arrive in Paris after about 14 hours and 20 minutes of flight time.

After arriving in Paris, headquarters executives and the table tennis team will enter the Olympic Village, and the fencing team will enter the “Team Korea Paris Platform”, a pre-match training camp and dietary support center established 12 years after the 2012 London Olympics.

South Korea will send 260 people (143 athletes, 90 competition officials, and 27 headquarters officials) in 21 major events to the Paris Olympics. However, if skateboarder Cho Hyun-joo is designated as a reserve athlete and there is a vacancy in the final competition, the final number of participants may change.

Before leaving for the home stadium on this day, advance teams including badminton and shooting had already set off on the 12th and headed to Paris according to the schedule of each event.

After the home team leaves for the country on the 20th, synchronized swimming (22nd), race walking (24th), diving, taekwondo, and horseback riding (25th) plan to join the team in Paris.

South Korea’s goal is to win 5-6 gold medals and 15th place overall in this tournament. This is a lower expectation compared to the goal of being in the “top ten” every time.

Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korea Sports Promotion Association, said in a stand-up interview before his trip abroad, “I have both expectations and concerns. Obviously, people are concerned about various circumstances, including the climate,” he said, but he added, “Since the people have given us a lot of support, I believe our players will fully demonstrate their skills and bring joy to the people.”

“The Olympics are unpredictable,” he continued. “Nevertheless, we hope to achieve better results than expected,” he said, “and most importantly, we need the support of the players. “We ask for your support and encouragement,” he added.

“The goal for archery is to win three gold medals, and it would be great if we can win gold medals in all five events,” said Zheng Kangshan, captain of the Paris Olympic team. “The individual events are good. I am also looking forward to swimming. “Surprisingly, there is a chance that shooting or sport climbing could also win medals,” he said.

Ahead of the Olympics, South Korea has established the “Team Korea Paris Platform” at the French National Defense and Sports Center (CNDS) in Fontainebleau, near Paris, France. The training center and dining center here will be built in an environment similar to the Jincheon Athletes Village, which is expected to help athletes adapt to the local environment.

Director Zheng said: “In the London Olympics where we camped, we won fifth place, which was our best result in overseas competitions. “This time, we also prepared food and a training environment, which will help us control the disease,” he said.

The athletes will begin the official competition from the opening ceremony held on the banks of the Seine in Paris on the 26th.

(Incheon Airport = News 1)