North Korea will send a delegation of about 100 athletes to the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to be held in Japan next month.
Ko Chol-ho, secretary-general of North Korea's National Olympic Committee (NOC), said in an interview with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan's organ newspaper Choson Sinbo on the 25th that "about 100 athletes will compete in 14 sports, including men's and women's soccer, weightlifting, boxing, and wrestling."
This is a smaller contingent than at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games (18 sports, 185 athletes). Ko said that although the number of sports and athletes has decreased, they expect to win more medals than in the previous competition in several sports.
The delegation will include two athletes from the Korean community in Japan, including women's soccer player Ri Song-a and karate athlete Jong Se-ri. Ko said the athletes and coaches have prepared for this event over the past four years and are continuing training to achieve strong results.
Citing the spread of COVID-19, North Korea skipped the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, then returned to a comprehensive international event for the first time in five years at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. At that time, North Korea won a total of 39 medals, including 11 golds, 18 silvers, and 10 bronzes.