South Korea will send a 383-member team, including 290 athletes, the largest in its history, for the upcoming Summer University Games in China, the Korean Olympic Committee announced on Monday.

The 26th World University Games, also known as the Summer Universiade, will be held Aug. 12-23 in Shenzhen.

The Universiade is the biggest sporting event for young athletes, with more than 12,000 athletes from 140 countries across the world expected in the Chinese city this year. A total of 306 gold medals are up for grabs in 24 sporting events at the 2011 Summer Universiade. The Korean delegation is set to compete in 20 sports, including swimming, athletics, football and basketball, the KOC said.

Jeong Da-rae, who won the 200 meter-breaststroke gold at the Asian Games, is a strong favorite in the women’s swimming events. Korean archers, led by Asian Game medalist Ki Bo-bae, are also expected to win the gold medals for Korea.

Korea first participated in the biennial event in 1991, finishing in 11th place by winning a total of eight medals. In the previous event in Belgrade, Korean ranked third with a total of 47 medals, including 21 golds.

The Korean delegation held an inaugural ceremony on Monday at the Olympic Park in Seoul, pledging another strong finish at the upcoming event. They will leave Seoul for China on Aug.10.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)