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| ▲ Members of the main South Korean athletic delegation to the Tokyo Olympics pose for photos at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, before departing for Japan on July 19, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Members of the main South Korean athletic delegation to the Tokyo Olympics pose for photos at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, before departing for Japan on July 19, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Members of the South Korean artistic gymnastics team competing at the Tokyo Olympics wave at cameras at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, before departing for Japan on July 19, 2021. (Yonhap) |
Olympics-athletes
Main S. Korean Olympic delegation heads to Tokyo
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- The main South Korean delegation to the Tokyo Olympics departed for Japan on Monday, four days ahead of the opening ceremony for the competition delayed one year by the coronavirus pandemic.
Jang In-hwa, head of the delegation, led a team of 69 athletes and officials from sports such as archery, gymnastics, table tennis and fencing.
South Korean athletes in sailing, football and shooting, among others, traveled to Japan earlier in the month. Swimmers and badminton players flew earlier Monday.
Overall, South Korea will be represented by 232 athletes and 122 officials in 29 sports.
The stated objective for the delegation is to grab six to seven gold medals and rank inside the top 10 in the medal race for the fifth consecutive Summer Olympics.
Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung and swimmer Hwang Sun-woo will be South Korea's flag bearers at Friday's opening ceremony. Kim is the captain for all female South Korean athletes, while pistol shooter Jin Jong-oh is the captain for men.
There will be some preliminary action prior to the opening ceremony. The men's football team will face New Zealand on Thursday to open the group stage, and the ranking rounds for men's and women's archery are scheduled for Friday morning.
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