North Korea plans to send around 100 athletes across 14 sports to the Asian Games in Japan next month, marking a return to major international competition on Japanese soil despite strained relations between the two countries.
Ko Chol Ho, secretary general of North Korea’s Olympic Committee, told the Tokyo-based Choson Sinbo newspaper that the country expects its smaller delegation to challenge for more medals than it won at the previous Asian Games.
North Korea sent about 185 athletes across 18 sports to the 2022 Asian Games, which were postponed and held in Hangzhou, China, in 2023. The delegation won 39 medals, including 11 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze, with weightlifting accounting for a significant share of the gold-medal haul.
Ko said the reduced size of the team would not diminish North Korea’s ambitions.
The athletes have been preparing intensively and are entering the Games with high morale, according to Ko, who expressed confidence that the delegation can improve on its performance in Hangzhou despite competing in fewer sports.
