South Korea's delegation to Paris Olympics expected to be smallest since 1976 due to poor performance of ball sports

The quarterfinals of the U-23 (under 23) Asian Cup, which also served as the final Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics for men's soccer, were held in Doha, Qatar on the 26th (Japan time), with South Korea set to beat Indonesia.
After losing the match against Nalti Kick, they missed out on their 10th consecutive Olympic appearance. The Korean media reported this result with surprise, and the Chosun Ilbo said, "Korea's 40-year history of not participating in the Olympic Games has come to an end.
With less than three months until the start of the Paris Olympics, South Korea is struggling to qualify for team ball sports. The only team ball sport that South Korea will be competing in at the Paris Olympics is women's handball.
The size of the Korean delegation participating in the Paris Olympics is expected to be the smallest since the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Korea Republic, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, faced off against Indonesia, ranked 134th. The first half ended with Indonesia leading 2-1. Korea Republic tied the score in the 39th minute of the second half, and the match was extended.
The game went on for a long time. After five consecutive hits, Korea missed the sixth, but Indonesia also missed. After that, both teams continued to score, Korea missed the 12th, and Indonesia succeeded.
The country lost the match and missed out on qualifying for the Paris Olympics. South Korea had participated in nine consecutive Olympic Games from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which was held in the country, to the last Tokyo Olympics, but it will not be able to participate in the 10th consecutive Olympics.
The Korean media reported the news with surprise, with the Sports Seoul newspaper reporting that "the shocking defeat in Doha has put an end to the trail of glory." The Korea Football Association said in a statement
"We would like to offer our deepest apologies to the fans, players and people of Japan for our loss in the U-23 Asian quarterfinals and our failure to advance to the main tournament of the Paris Olympics," the statement read.
South Korea has struggled in all the ball sports qualifying rounds held so far to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
They participated in six team sports: sketball, women's volleyball, men's rugby, and baseball. However, hockey, basketball, and volleyball, both men's and women's, did not qualify for the Paris Games.
Of the 14 team ball sports, only the women's handball team will be competing, a feat that Korea has been doing for 11 consecutive Olympics since the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
The soccer team also finished second in their group in the second round of the Asian qualifiers and suffered a bitter defeat. The men's soccer team, led by coach Hwang Seong-hong, also suffered a bitter defeat, with almost all major ball sports eliminated.
The Chosun Ilbo reported, "With the cancellation of the men's soccer team, which the Koreans were counting on, the number of Korean athletes who will be able to participate in the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26, is expected to be around 150.
"It's the first time in 1976 that the number of participants has reached 50. This is the smallest number since the Montreal Games in 1976, when 50 people participated. This is due to the poor performance of the ball games mentioned above.
The Chosun Ilbo also pointed out that "not only is the scale of the event being scaled down, but the prospects for medals are also bleak." South Korea performed poorly in the last Tokyo Olympics, but only managed to win a gold medal.
The team's overall ranking was 16th, the lowest since the 1976 Montreal Olympics (19th). The paper said, "It is said that the team can aim for 5 to 6 gold medals at the Paris Olympics, but the ranking is 20th.
Professor Kim Ki-han of the Department of Physical Education at the College of Education at Seoul University told the paper, "If their competitive ability continues to decline, we need to know which parts are not functioning properly.
"We need to thoroughly check whether the situation is correct," he said. Meanwhile, Japan has secured Olympic tickets for all seven sports in either the men's or women's categories in the competition for team ball games.
This will be the first time in 92 years, since the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, that Japan will be covering all team ball games.