Son Heung-min, the Korean national soccer team, is talking with players prior to training at the Universiade Sports Center Stadium in Shenzhen, China, on the 20th, a day before the 2026 North, Central America World Cup Asian region second qualifying round match against China. (Provided by the Korea Football Association) 2023.11.20/News 1
(Seoul = News 1) Reporter Daehyun Moon = In 2023, big sports events attracted national attention. Starting with the World Baseball Classic (WBC), it continued with the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, and the Asian Baseball Professional Championship (APBC).
The Taegeuk Warriors’ challenge continues in the new year of 2024. Major competitions such as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, Paris Summer Olympics, and Premier 12 are expected. We’ve highlighted the major events that will delight sports fans throughout the year.
◇ Qatar Asian Cup in January… Klinsmann challenges for first championship in 64 years
First, the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar in January. The Korean national team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, is attempting to win its first championship in 64 years since 1960.
Korea has been far from the top in Asia since winning the first tournament in 1956 and the second tournament in 1960.
Afterwards, he only came in second place four times (1972, 1980, 1988, 2015). Coach Klinsmann has also said that he has been aiming to win the Asian Cup since taking office early this year, so he is determined to win the trophy.
Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, will compete with Bahrain (86th), Jordan (87th), and Malaysia (130th) in Group E of this tournament.
The national team, which is currently being called up and trained mainly by domestic players, will depart for Abu Dhabi, UAE, where a training camp will be held, on January 2 next year and begin the final hardening.
The remaining overseas players, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), will all join Abu Dhabi. The Taegeuk Warriors will play the final mock test against Iraq on January 6th and then move to Qatar, the site of the decisive battle, on the 10th.
◇ The Paris Summer Olympics will be held in July… Korea expected to rank 15th to 20th overall
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11. The Paris Olympics, with the slogan ‘Venez partager’ (come and share) in French, sees over 200 member countries of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) fiercely competing for 329 gold medals in 32 sports, including track and field, swimming, and gymnastics.
Hwang Seon-woo (center, Gangwon), who participated in the final of the men’s general division 200m freestyle at the ‘2024 National Swimming (Swimming) National Team Selection Competition’ held at Gimcheon Indoor Swimming Pool in Gyeongsangbuk-do on the afternoon of the 27th, is ahead. 2024.11.27/News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Jeong Gong-sik
The Korea Sports Council predicts 5 to 6 gold medals and 15th to 20th overall ranking in this Olympics. Swimming’s Hwang Seon-woo (Gangwon Provincial Office), badminton’s Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), and the national archery team are strong gold medal candidates.
Sunwoo Hwang, who competed as a high school student at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, advanced to the finals of the 200m freestyle event, but finished in 7th place.
Hwang Sun-woo, who has overcome disappointment and continued to grow, has become the strongest player in Asian swimming with a silver medal at the 2022 Budapest World Championships, a bronze medal at the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships, and two gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games (2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze).
Hwang Sun-woo, who has made up for his shortcomings through dolphin kick training and strong physical training, is determined to win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Women’s badminton Ahn Se-young attended the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games encouragement event ‘Thank you, TEAM KOREA’ held at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 30th and took a commemorative photo with KB Kookmin Bank President Lee Jae-geun after receiving the Fighting Spirit Award. . 2023,10.30/News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Jinhwan Kim
Ahn Se-young is also aiming for the top spot in her second Olympics. Ahn Se-young, who lost to Chen Yu-fei (China) in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles at the Tokyo Olympics, has since become a world-class player through her hard work.
Ahn Se-young won 10 gold medals in one year alone, including the India Open in January of this year, the All England Open, the World Championships, and the Asian Games.
Ahn Se-young, who has surpassed the previously weak Chen Yu-fei and Yamaguchi Akane (Japan), has risen to first place in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) women’s singles rankings. She also won the BWF Player of the Year award.
Ahn Se-young, who became the ‘Badminton Empress’, will challenge for the women’s singles gold medal in Paris for the first time in 30 years since Bang Bang-hyeon at the 1994 Atlanta Games.
Woo Sang-hyuk, who received applause for his ‘disappointing fourth place’ at the Tokyo Olympics, is also a gold medal hopeful.
Sanghyuk Woo became the first Korean athlete to advance to the Diamond League finals this year and even won the championship. He easily surpassed the Olympic qualification standard.
Woo Sang-hyuk expressed his determination, saying, “2023 was a good year, but first I want to give 50 points. The remaining 50 points will be filled with a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.”
In addition, the national archery and fencing teams, which are traditional sports at the Summer Olympics, are also pledging to do well.
Korean players are cheering after winning 2-0 in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games final match between Korea and Taiwan held at Stadium 1 of Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center in China on the 7th. 2023.10.7/News1 ⓒ News1 Reporter Seungkwan Yoo
◇ ‘Generation change’ national baseball team challenges to reclaim the Premier 12 crown
The national baseball team will participate in the Premier 12 in November, where the top 12 countries in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings participate.
Korea, which received no medal (4th place) at the Tokyo Olympics and was eliminated in the first round of the 2023 WBC, is aiming to regain its honor in the Premier 12, where the best players without age restrictions gather.
Korea came out on top in the 2015 inaugural competition. He finished second in the 2nd competition in 2019.
The national baseball team began a generational change starting with this year’s Asian Games. Moon Dong-ju, who has emerged as a new ace, and Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles), the next-generation fourth hitter, are expected to lead the national team next year as well.
Japan, which ranks first in the WBSC, and Central and South American countries that have traditionally been strong in international competitions are not very capable, but if young players show their skills, the pride of Korean baseball can be revived.
2023-12-30 21:04:05
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