The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games concluded on October 4 with a closing ceremony, wrapping up 16 days of competition. The South Korean team successfully maintained its third-place position overall, but recorded its lowest gold medal count in 44 years.
The closing ceremony took place at 6 p.m. at the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium in Nagoya, Japan. The event, which began on September 19, featured 45 countries and regions affiliated with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) competing for 469 gold medals across 43 sports.
Themed "One Asia," the closing ceremony conveyed a message of unity across Asia.
Leading the South Korean delegation was Seo Chae-hyun, who won a gold medal in women's lead climbing, proudly carrying the national flag.
South Korea finished the Games with 39 gold, 43 silver, and 68 bronze medals, totaling 150 medals and securing third place behind China and Japan. While the team successfully defended its overall ranking, the gold medal count was the lowest since the 1982 New Delhi Games, where South Korea won 28 gold medals.
The South Korean Sports Council had set a target of 40 to 45 gold medals prior to the Games, which was not met.
Since the 1986 Seoul Games through to the 2014 Incheon Games, South Korea consistently won over 50 gold medals. However, after dropping to 49 gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, the count fell to 42 at the 2022 Hangzhou Games and now to 39 in Nagoya, marking a decline for three consecutive events.
The traditional stronghold of medals faced significant challenges. Archery, which aimed for five gold medals, secured only three, with the women's recurve team missing out on gold for the first time in Asian Games history. Swimming managed just one gold medal, and no table tennis events reached the finals.
In contrast, team sports excelled, with men's football achieving a fourth consecutive gold, baseball winning its fifth straight, and basketball claiming three golds across men's and women's 5-on-5 and men's 3-on-3 events. Women's handball also reclaimed the top spot after eight years.
Fencing emerged as the top-performing sport for South Korea, contributing four gold medals. Oh Sang-wook, who won both individual and team events, was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the South Korean team by the Sports Council.
However, the successes in team sports and fencing were insufficient to close the gap with the leaders. China, which has won the overall championship for 12 consecutive events, dominated with 169 gold medals, while host nation Japan achieved its best-ever performance with 83 gold medals.
The gap between South Korea and Japan has widened. At the previous Hangzhou Games, South Korea (42 gold) trailed Japan (52 gold) by just 10 medals, but this time the difference increased to 44.
The next Asian Games will be held in Doha, Qatar, marking the second time Qatar has hosted the event since 2006. The exact timing is yet to be confirmed; originally scheduled for 2030, the OCA is considering moving it to 2031, just before the Olympics. The OCA Executive Committee approved this proposal in April, and discussions with international sports federations are ongoing.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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