Nine sports coaches and representative athletes have made their debut.

The Korea Sports Council for the Disabled held a press conference for the South Korean team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games at Icheon Training Center on the 13th.

The competition, which has been delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held from the 22nd to the 28th.

Korea will send 345 athletes (208 athletes and 137 executives) to 21 sports to enter a heated race with the goal of achieving fourth place in the overall rankings.

Twenty people, including Kim Jin-hyuk, the head of the national team, Park Jong-chul, coaches and athletes from nine sports, gathered together to express their feelings and determination ahead of the tournament.

Goalball, which won the Paralympics title for the first time in 28 years as the runner-up at the Portuguese World Championship last year, continues to rise in Hangzhou. Coach Jung Eun-sun said, “We prepared for the Asian Games with the 2024 Paris Paralympics as our ultimate goal. I expect good results by training a lot,” he said, promising good performance.

“This is my third participation in the Asian Games, and I have never won a medal yet,” said Kim Hee-jin, captain of the national goalball team, adding, “Japan and China, which are strong in goalball, are formidable.” Nevertheless, I will think of it as a ‘preview Paralympic Games’ and win the prize, he said, expressing his ambition.

Boccia is a major event of Korean sports tradition that shines with nine consecutive Paralympics. Coach Lim Kwang-taek said, “As a dedicated stadium was set up last month, the players were very motivated, volunteering for early morning training,” adding, “We expect at least two gold medals.” 스포츠토토

Yoo Soo-young, the “next generation sign” of Korean badminton for the disabled, said, “This is my first participation. “I’m more excited than burdened,” he said. “The color of the medal will vary depending on the result of the meeting with (world No. 1) Daiki Kajiwara (Japan). I’ve always enjoyed the game with Ghaziwara. This time, I will do my best to win a different outcome, that is, victory,” he said.

“Most of the world’s top rankers in taekwondo are Asian players,” said Kim Ki-kyu, head coach of Taekwondo, who rose to an official event for the first time in the tournament. “I will participate in the Hangzhou Games with the determination to host the world championships (such as the Paralympics and the World Championships).”

Joo Jung-hoon said, “All the world’s 1st to 4th in the weight class I play are Asian nationals. It is a more difficult structure to win the Asian Games, he said. “I don’t think I can beat those players. “I’ll play with the idea of winning first place in Hangzhou,” he said.

Coach Park Kyu-hwa of the national fencing team said, “Korean fencing performed well at the Hangzhou Asian Games earlier. Wheelchair fencing has also been trained hard, so please keep an eye on it,” he said.

Kwon Hyo-kyung, who has been growing rapidly with two wins in the fencing World Cup, said, “I complied with the World Cup results, but I was a little disappointed at the World Championship. It is the first time to participate in the Asian Games, so there is a lot of pressure. Nevertheless, I will do my best on the stage in my best condition,” he said.

Cho Jae-kwan, head coach of South Korea’s table tennis, the “second-in-command” who threatens the strongest China, said, “I feel that sports for the disabled have developed a lot while training at Icheon Training Center. Support has improved much in all aspects, including sports science, mental training, game analysis, and nutrition, he said. “The players have also prepared really hard, so please pay a lot of attention and support.”

“There’s not much I can do,” said Kim Jin-hyuk, the head of the team. I just silently play the role of invigorating. “We will make eye contact with the player once more and make all-out efforts to support him,” he said. “We will inspire energy so that the bronze medal becomes the silver medal and the silver medal becomes the gold medal.”

The Hangzhou Asian Games for the Disabled will be held for a week from the 22nd to the 28th. A total of 22 events and 616 medals are up for grabs.

About 3,800 Asian para-athletes from 45 countries will compete.

South Korea will send 208 athletes and 137 executives to 21 sports, including archery, track and field, boccia, and table tennis.

The goal is to achieve fourth place in the overall rankings of this tournament. Bowling, which earned 12 gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, was excluded from the official event, lowering its goal.

The team will head to Hangzhou, the site of the match, with a kickoff ceremony at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 at 9:30 a.m. on the 16th.