The South Korea delegation returned home from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games with 100 medals, securing fifth place in the overall standings and surpassing their pre-tournament goal of 21 gold medals by claiming 29.
Incheon Airport Welcomes 300 Attendees
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Paralympic Committee hosted an official homecoming ceremony at 16:30 local time at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. Approximately 300 people attended the event, including delegation head Park Heungsik, athletes, family members, and related personnel. The ceremony featured a formal tournament recap report and the traditional return of the delegation flag, marking the official conclusion of the Games schedule.
Table Tennis and Track Records Drive the Medal Count
South Korea competed across all 18 sports on the program, collecting 29 gold, 38 silver, and 33 bronze medals to finish behind China, Japan, Uzbekistan, and India in the final table. Table tennis proved to be the most prolific discipline, yielding a historic 12 gold medals. Kim Hyeonuk and Yun Jiyu both claimed three titles each to become triple gold medalists. In track and field, Jang Minho set an Asian record in the men’s 100-meter event before breaking the world record in the 400-meter event with a time of 46.24 seconds. The nation also claimed its first-ever Asian Para Games gold medal in wheelchair rugby by defeating host nation Japan. On the final day of competition, Gwak Geonhui secured an additional gold medal in the men’s recurve archery event. The milestone 100th medal for the delegation came from the wheelchair fencing team, which earned a silver in the mixed épée team event following a silver in the men’s sabre team event.
Government Pledges Grassroots Sports Expansion
Kang Daegeum, sports cooperation officer for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, addressed the returning athletes during the homecoming events. “We welcome the South Korean delegation home after they gave their all on the Asian stage,” Kang said. “We will continue our efforts to transform the challenge spirit demonstrated by our athletes into public attention and support for disability sports, while expanding grassroots infrastructure so that more individuals with disabilities can experience the joy and vitality of sports.” The ministry stated that it intends to use the national team’s performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Games as a catalyst to broaden community-level athletic access and participation across the country.
Keep reading
