Football, volleyball, etc. have been eliminated… Only women’s handball has developed. There were no medals in ball sports in the last two competitions.
Photo = Official website of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
With Korean men’s football failing to advance to the finals of the Paris Olympics, which open in July, Korea is expected to have fewer than 160 players participating in the Paris Olympics, the fewest since the 1976 Montreal Games. .
Until the start of the U-23 Asia Cup, which also serves as the Asian qualifier for men’s soccer for the Paris Olympics, the Korea Sports Council predicted that the number of national players participating in the Olympics would around 170 to 180. However, with men’s football failing to take part in the Olympics for the 10th time in a row, the number of players is expected to drop further to 150-160. There are 18 players in the men’s football finals for the Paris Olympics.
The last time Korea had less than 200 athletes participate in the Summer Olympics was the Montreal Games in 1976, when 50 athletes participated. Korea, which did not participate in the 1980 Moscow Games, participated in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles with 210 athletes and won a total of 19 medals, including 6 gold, 6 silver, and 7 bronze medals, and ranked 10th in the general positions.
The 1988 Seoul Games had a record 477 participants. 312 people took part in the Atlanta competition in 1996, the second largest ever. From the 2000 Sydney Olympics to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which was the previous competition, it was held at the 200 level.
The biggest reason why the number of athletes who took part in the Paris Olympics fell below 200 is considered to be the fall in team ball games with a large number of athletes. There are a total of seven team sports at the Paris Olympics, including soccer, basketball, volleyball, hockey, handball, rugby, and water polo. Among these, women’s handball is the only sport in which Korea has qualified for the Olympics. Korean women’s handball, led by coach Henrik Signel (Sweden), managed to advance to the Olympic Games for the 11th time in a row. In the finals of the Olympic Games in Paris, they were in the same group as other strong European teams, including Norway, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden, and Denmark. In women’s volleyball, where 12 countries are participating, there are 5 tickets to Paris left, but considering the world ranking points, there is little chance that Korea will win.
Korea is experiencing a general decline in team ball games. Starting with silver medals in women’s handball and women’s basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and bronze medals in men’s soccer at the London 2012 Olympics, ball sports that won medals in all competitions never ended in no medals. at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, men’s football, women’s handball, women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, and men’s rugby advanced to the finals, but failed to win medals, leaving no medals for two consecutive competitions. Baseball, which was a sport in the Tokyo Olympics, was excluded from the Paris Olympics.
Korea’s prospects for a medal at the Paris Olympics are not bright either. The Korean Sports Council believes there may only be 5 or 6 gold medals. Amidst the continued decline in sports such as judo and wrestling, which had been strong until now, gold medals are expected in archery, flag taekwondo, and fencing, aiming for a 10th consecutive win in the women’s team event.
Correspondent Lee Heon-jae uni@donga.com
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