"Expecting 7th, Aiming for 6th"… Korea, 4th in Hangzhou, Targets 21 Gold Medals at Asian Para Games
The Korean delegation heading to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games held its send-off ceremony on the 6th. The gold medal target is 21 or more. President Jung Jin-wan publicly declared a "challenge for 6th place."
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
30 gold medals. That is the confirmed result of the Korean para-athlete delegation, which finished 4th overall at the Hangzhou Games three years ago. The gold medal target announced by the Korean Paralympic Committee on the 6th is 21 or more. According to Yonhap News, the overall ranking target is 7th or higher. On the numbers alone it looks like a step back, but President Jung Jin-wan said at a press conference that day that the delegation would challenge for a higher ranking.
The send-off ceremony was held at 2 p.m. that day at the Samsung Hall of the Icheon Athletes' Village in Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap News reported that the delegation pledged their commitment to compete at the event. At the ceremony, President Jung said, "Today's challenge creates tomorrow's stage." He was paralyzed from the waist down in a 1987 traffic accident, then made a comeback through shooting and won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
Send-off Ceremony Press Conference: Target Ranking, Between "7th or Higher" and "Challenge for 6th"
The target ranking was reported differently by different outlets. Yonhap News wrote "7th or higher," while Newspim used "6th" in its headline and body. At the press conference on the 6th, President Jung said, "7th place is expected, but we will set our target at 6th and work hard." "7th or higher" is the delegation's target, while 6th is distinguished as President Jung's determination to challenge.
The gap between 7th and 6th can be gauged from the Hangzhou results. In the 2023 final tally, ranked by gold medals, 6th-place Indonesia won 29 golds and 7th-place Thailand won 27 golds. The target of 21 is 6 to 8 fewer than the two countries. Based on the previous Games, that works out to 21 golds being barely enough to reach 7th.
From 4th Place and 30 Golds in Hangzhou to a Generational Turnover: Three Years of Change
Turning the clock back three years makes the drop more striking. KBS WORLD reported that Korea finished the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games with 30 golds, 33 silvers and 40 bronzes, for a total of 103 medals, placing 4th overall. China dominated with 214 golds. India finished 5th, 1 gold medal behind Korea.
Final Medal Standings by Country at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games (as of 2023.10.28)
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 214 | 167 | 140 | 521 |
| 2 | Iran | 44 | 46 | 41 | 131 |
| 3 | Japan | 42 | 49 | 59 | 150 |
| 4 | South Korea | 30 | 33 | 40 | 103 |
| 5 | India | 29 | 31 | 51 | 111 |
| 6 | Indonesia | 29 | 30 | 36 | 95 |
| 7 | Thailand | 27 | 26 | 55 | 108 |
Source: Tally by the National Paralympic Committee of Kazakhstan
The background to the outlook also emerged at that day's press conference. According to Yonhap News, it was noted that the discovery of new talent has been delayed and a generational turnover is under way. President Jung took office in February 2021 and became the first in the committee's history to win re-election, and is now serving his second term. The committee described this Games as a stage for checking competitiveness ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
Asian Para Games Schedule: October 18-24, Delegation of 357 Set to Depart
Newsis reported that Korea is sending a total of 357 people across all 18 sports, including 214 athletes, 104 team officials and 39 headquarters officials. The athletes competing account for 60% (214÷357) of the total dispatched personnel. All 18 sports are Paralympic sports. The Games run for 7 days, from October 18 to 24, in Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya and Izu City in Japan, and the International Paralympic Committee also announced the same schedule on July 17.
The delegation will depart in groups by sport. A send-off ceremony will be held at Incheon International Airport on October 14, and the delegation is reported to return on the 25th. With venues spread out, lodging, transport and meals were treated as real challenges to address. The delegation explained that it will support lodging and transport through sport-specific officers and deliver side dishes for athletes separately.
The total number of athletes at the Games differs between sources: about 3000 in the IPC's July announcement and about 3600 in Newspim's October report. Behind the lowered expectations, from 30 golds in Hangzhou to a target of 21 or more this time, are delays in discovering new talent and an ongoing generational turnover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When is the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games schedule?
It runs for 7 days from October 18 to 24, 2026. Events will be held in Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya and Izu City in Japan, and the Korean delegation is reported to return on the 25th.
Q. How large is the Korean delegation at the Asian Para Games?
It totals 357 people. It consists of 214 athletes, 104 team officials and 39 headquarters officials, and will compete in all 18 sports.
Q. Is the Korean delegation's target ranking 7th or 6th?
The delegation's target was reported as 21 or more gold medals and 7th or higher overall. At the press conference on the 6th, President Jung Jin-wan separately expressed his determination to challenge for 6th, saying, "7th place is expected, but we will set our target at 6th and work hard."
Related Official Sites
- Official Website of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games — Official website of the Games' organizing committee
- Korean Paralympic Committee — Official website of the body dispatching the Korean delegation
- Japanese Paralympic Committee Aichi-Nagoya Games Information — Games information from the host country's committee
- Asian Paralympic Committee Official Results for the Hangzhou Games — Official records of the previous Games
Featured image · Archive photo · Not an on-site photo of a current competition in the article · Photo composite · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (Don Worley), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo = Wikimedia Commons (J. Patrick Fischer), CC BY-SA 3.0
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