Sports Briefs

UNIFIED TEAM

Sports minister proposes joint teams for Olympics

South Korean Sports Minister Do Jong-whan said Wednesday that he has proposed joint teams with North Korea at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Do was visiting Jakabaring Sports City in Palembang, a co-host city of the 18th Asian Games with Jakarta, to watch the men’s unified Korean rowing team along with North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk.

“We talked about what to do with unified teams ahead of the Tokyo Olympics,” Do told reporters. “And we’ve also exchanged opinions on holding regular inter-Korean sports talks, where we can discuss assembling more joint teams.”

The Koreas competed as one in women’s hockey at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea.

At the ongoing 18th Asian Games, the Koreas have unified teams in women’s basketball, rowing and canoeing.

They have never competed as one in any sport at the Summer Olympics.

Yonhap

FENCING

Men’s fencing team comes up short in epee finals

The Korean men’s fencing team failed to defend their Asian Games title in men’s team epee by finishing third on Wednesday.

Korea lost 45-41 to China in the semifinals. Right when the two teams were tied at 40-40 with one minute and three seconds remaining, Dong Chao of China won three consecutive points. Jung Jin-sun responded with a point, but as Dong won the next two, China finalized its place in the finals.

By Kang Yoo-rim