Team Korea to gear up for 2025 winter Asiad with launch ceremony in Seoul

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Team Korea to gear up for 2025 winter Asiad with launch ceremony in Seoul

People take selfies with a Asian Winter Games mascot in Harbin, China on Oct. 29, 2024. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

People take selfies with a Asian Winter Games mascot in Harbin, China on Oct. 29, 2024. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

 
Team Korea will host a launch ceremony for the 2025 Asian Winter Games on Friday at the Seoul Olympic Parktel in southern Seoul, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced on Monday.
 

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The event will be attended by officials from KSOC, the National Assembly and heads of sports associations.
 
In an effort to encourage athletes heading to Harbin, China, for the Asiad, Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jang Mi-ran visited the Pyeongchang Winter Training Center in Pyeongchang, Gangwon on Monday.
 
“I hope the efforts of the national winter sports team players and coaches come to fruition, as this is the first Winter Asian Games in eight years,” Jang said. “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will do its best to improve treatment and training conditions to ensure our athletes can focus solely on their preparations.”
 
Korea, which won 16 gold medals at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games to finish second behind Japan, is sending a delegation of 220 people, including 150 athletes, to Harbin. The 2021 edition of the Games was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
Historically, the medal race has been dominated by four countries: Korea, Japan, China and Kazakhstan. However, Kazakhstan fell to fourth place on the medal table in 2017 after leading the standings at the 2011 tournament. The Central Asian country remains in third place on the all-time medal table, behind Japan and China, with Korea in fourth.
 
Short-track speedskating remains Korea’s strongest discipline. Olympic champion Choi Min-jeong, rising star Kim Gil-li and Park Ji-won headline a team aiming to secure multiple medals in one of the country’s most successful sports.  
 
The 2025 winter Asiad will take place from Feb. 7 to 14 and will feature 11 sports.
 
Temperatures in Harbin are expected to drop below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), posing significant challenges for athletes and organizers, particularly in outdoor snow events.

BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]
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