Korea to reduce team size, set modest goals for Paris Olympics amid few favorable conditions

The inauguration ceremony for the Korean delegation to the Paris Olympics was held at the Olympic Hall in Seoul Olympic Park on the 9th. 144 athletes from Korea will be competing in 22 events at the Paris Olympics.
For this tournament, South Korea has set a goal of "at least five gold medals and finishing in the top 15." The number of people dispatched has been significantly reduced from the previous tournament, with 144 athletes and 118 managers and coaches making up a total of 262 people. 1976
This is the lowest number of participants in the summer since the Montreal Olympics. South Korea is struggling to qualify for the tournament in team ball games. The only team ball game that South Korea is participating in is women's handball.
The poor performance of ball games led to a reduction in the number of participants. Meanwhile, on the 9th, the day of the team formation ceremony, the Korean entertainment company HIBE distributed 50 glow sticks to support the Korean national team.
The government announced that it would provide 100,000 units to the event. It appears that the government has volunteered to help ignite the excitement, but interest in the tournament among the general public is still low at present.
Minister of Economic and Political Affairs Yoo In-cheon and Chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee Lee Ki-hoon were also in attendance. Prime Minister Han said, "I wish you all the best as you make your strong departure for the Paris Olympics.
"We congratulate you all. The Korean people will be cheering on all the athletes enthusiastically, and the government will do everything in its power to support you," he said, before encouraging them to "show off to the fullest the skills that you have honed over a long period of time."
South Korea has been struggling in team sports in the race for a place in this tournament. In April, the men's soccer team lost to Indonesia in the quarterfinals of the U-23 (under 23) Asian Cup, which also served as the final Asian qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
Losing to China, they missed out on qualifying for the 10th consecutive Olympic Games. At the time, the Korean media was surprised by this result, saying, "Korea's 40-year streak of soccer participating in the Olympics has come to an end" (Chosun Ilbo).
Basketball and volleyball also failed to qualify, raising concerns about the decline of sports in Korea.
In team sports, he has participated in four to seven events. In an article published in April, the Chosun Ilbo said, "At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, he participated in four team ball games, and at the last Tokyo Games, he participated in six events, but
"We ended up with no medals for two consecutive Olympics. And now it's become difficult to even participate in the Olympics, let alone win a medal," he lamented, lamenting the state of the Korean team ball game, which is in steady decline.
The only team ball sport that Korea participates in is women's handball. It has been pointed out that the sluggish performance of team sports is due to the "extremely low birth rate" and "highly educated society."
Due to a lack of members, ball clubs are being closed one after another. In addition, there is a strong tendency for parents to prioritize studying over sports.
Archery and taekwondo are strong sports, but there was also a surprise in archery. Ahn Sang, who won three gold medals at the last Tokyo Olympics, did not perform well in the national team selection tournament in March and missed out on the chance to compete.
Ahn won gold medals in the mixed team, women's team and individual events at the Tokyo Games. It was the first time since 1904 that a female archer had won three gold medals in the same Olympic Games.
Ahn's failure to qualify sent shock waves through Korea at the time, but on the other hand, it shows that Korea has a deep archery field that makes it difficult for even Ahn to participate.
However, at the Archery World Cup held in Turkey last month, all of the Korean women's individual competitors failed to advance to the semifinals, casting a dark cloud over the situation before the Olympics.
South Korea's goal for the Paris Olympics is "five gold medals and within the top 15 overall," which is also a modest target. By comparison, the previous Tokyo Olympics had set the goal as "10 gold medals and within the top 10 overall."
They fell short of their goal, winning six gold medals and coming in 16th overall. At the moment, interest in the Olympics among Koreans is low. Meanwhile, Korean entertainment company HYBE is holding a fanlight at a K-POP concert.
Inspired by the use of the torch, the Korean Olympic Committee produced 5,000 "Team Korea Penlights" to support the team. The shape is reminiscent of the torch used in the Olympic torch relay.
The company also plans to provide video content of its artists to the local cheering center, Korea House, during the Games.