[Tokyo Olympics] South Korean TV network apologizes for offensive Olympic broadcast

SEOUL (AFP) -- A major South Korean broadcaster apologized Saturday for using offensive images and captions to describe participating countries during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night. Coronavirus restrictions meant a stripped back celebration with the traditional delegations of athletes masked and far smaller than usual, ranging from just a handful of people to a few dozen. MBC -- one of the largest national television networks -- used images of the 1986 Chernobyl nucl

Olympic GamesJuly 24, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Veteran shooter Jin Jong-oh eliminated in 10m air pistol

South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh's bid for a seventh Olympic medal came crashing down on Saturday in Tokyo, as he failed to make it past the qualification stage in the men's 10m air pistol event. Jin ranked 15th with 576 out of a maximum 600 points at Asaka Shooting Range, finishing well outside the top eight eligible for the final. He is the 2012 Olympic champion in this event. In the qualification, shooters each fired 60 shots, 10 per series, with a maximum score of 10 points per shot. Jin

Olympic GamesJuly 24, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] High-ranked S. Korean epee fencers gone after one match

A pair of top-10 fencers from South Korea got knocked out of the Olympic competition after their first matches on Saturday. Choi In-jeong, world No. 2 in women's epee, lost to Aizanat Murtazaeva of the Russian Olympic Committee 15-11 in the round of 32 at Makuhari Messe Hall B in Chiba, east of Tokyo, on Saturday. Also in the round of 32, the eighth-ranked Kang Young-mi fell to Nozomi Sato of Japan 15-14. Song Se-ra was the only South Korean to advance to the round of 16, thanks to her 15-12

Olympic GamesJuly 24, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Rifle shooters falter in bid for S. Korea's first medal

Two young rifle shooters came up short in their bid to bring South Korea its first medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. Kwon Eun-ji and Park Hee-moon occupied the two last places in the women's 10m air rifle final at Asaka Shooting Range in Tokyo on Saturday. This was the first medal event of these Olympic Games. Park, 20, was the first shooter among eight finalists to be eliminated with 119.1 points, and the 18-year-old Kwon was next to go in the following elimination stage at 145

Olympic GamesJuly 24, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Chinese shooter Yang wins first gold of Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO (AFP) -- Ice-cold Chinese shooter Yang Qian claimed the first gold of the Tokyo Games on Saturday, keeping her cool while Russian Anastasiia Galashina lost hers in a dramatic finale. Galashina had looked poised to claim gold heading into the last shot, but stumbled with 8.9 on her final effort to allow Yang to seal victory. Yang looked the picture of serenity as she waited with eyes closed between shots, but she still had to overcome nerves to close out the win with an Olympic record sco

Olympic GamesJuly 24, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Homegrown streaming platforms in race to attract more users by airing Olympics

South Korean video streaming services are eyeing to boost their user base this summer by airing the Tokyo Olympics amid already heated competition. The Tokyo Summer Games, which officially kick off Friday, are available to watch live on multiple streaming platforms here, including Wavve, U+ Mobile TV and AfreecaTV. The Olympics present an opportunity for the homegrown platforms to diversify their watch list and catch up to market leader Netflix Inc. Netflix maintains a strong presence in Sout

Olympic GamesJuly 23, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] With 2 Olympic records, S. Korea throws down gauntlet early in archery

Not that anyone needed more proof of their country's dominance, but South Korean archers broke two Olympic records in the preliminary stage at the Tokyo Summer Games on Friday. An San won the women's ranking rounds with 680 points out of a maximum 720 at Yumenoshima Park Archery Field in Tokyo, breaking a 25-year-old Olympic record by seven points. Archers took 36 arrows in each of the two halves, with a maximum 10 points per arrow. An's two teammates, Jang Min-hee and Kang Chae-young, rounded

Olympic GamesJuly 23, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korea going for multiple gold medals right out of the gate in Tokyo

TOKYO -- Every country starts at zero in the medal count at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, the first full day of competition after the opening ceremony. By the end of it, South Korea is hoping it will have a crooked number next to it on the table. South Korea will look to grab a handful of gold medals in archery, fencing, shooting and taekwondo. Having won a record 23 gold medals in Olympic archery competitions, South Korea will seek to add to that total in the inaugural mixed team competitio

Olympic GamesJuly 23, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Tokyo's opening ceremony built on hopes of uniting world during pandemic

TOKYO -- The opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for Friday evening will be founded on the host nation's hopes of bringing the world together through sport during the coronavirus pandemic. According to details shared by the local organizing committee last week, the concept for the opening ceremony has been titled, "United by Emotion." The organizers noted challenges that people around the world have faced over the past year due to the pandemic and said, "That is wh

Olympic GamesJuly 23, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korea lose to New Zealand to open men’s football tournament

KASHIMA, Japan -- Undone by an unlucky bounce and lack of clinical finish, South Korea lost to New Zealand 1-0 to kick off the men’s football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Burnley striker Chris Wood potted the match‘s lone goal in the second half after a shot attempt went off a defender’s leg and landed on his feet, following a long stretch of South Korea's ball dominance at Ibaraki Kashima Stadium in Kashima, northeast of Tokyo. The loss in the first Gr

Olympic GamesJuly 22, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Tokyo Olympics kick off under the shadow of COVID-19

The trouble-laden Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to kick off Friday with a scaled-down opening ceremony amid deepening concerns about a surge of COVID-19 infections among athletes and other participants. After an unprecedented year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 11,000 athletes from 206 countries are scheduled to compete in 33 sports at the Tokyo Olympics, which will be held at 42 competition venues through Aug. 8. But the mood remains jittery as the host city is in a state

Olympic GamesJuly 22, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Slumping pitcher declares self healthy for Tokyo

After missing almost a full year with shoulder problems, LG Twins' left-hander Cha Woo-chan returned with a bang, with a 2-0 record and a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings over his first three starts. That impressive comeback, plus Cha's championship experience, helped him get picked as one of only two left-handers for the South Korean Olympic baseball team. But the 34-year-old struggled mightily over the next two outings, as he was shelled for 12 runs -- one unearned -- on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings comb

Olympic GamesJuly 22, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Veteran fencer wants to dedicate medal to late father

CHIBA, Japan -- From time to time, South Korean fencer Jeon Hee-sook is reunited with her late father in her dreams. Whenever that happened, she always did well in following competitions. Jeon's father passed away in June 2008 and is buried not too far from his daughter's main practice facility, the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul. She paid him one last visit before leaving for Japan earlier this month and saw him in her dream that same night. "

Olympic GamesJuly 22, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korea aiming to make more Olympic archery history as competition opens with ranking rounds

TOKYO -- Five years ago at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, South Korea pulled off an unprecedented sweep of four archery gold medals. The national anthem, "Aegukga," was played at every medal ceremony, covering the men's and women's individual and team events. For this year's Tokyo Olympics, a fifth event, the mixed team, has been added. It can only mean one thing: a chance for South Korea, the most dominant archery power in the Olympics, to make even more history. Since the modern arch

Olympic GamesJuly 22, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korea poised for potential gold bonanza on 1st day of competition

TOKYO -- South Korea's objective at this year's Tokyo Olympics is to win six to seven gold medals. And more than half of that total could come on the first full day of the competition following Friday's opening ceremony. Barring major upsets, South Korean athletes should contend for medals in archery, shooting, fencing and taekwondo Saturday. The most optimistic prognosticator predicts five gold medals. Jin Jong-oh, one of the most accomplished pistol shooters in Olympic history, could be the

Olympic GamesJuly 22, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korean baseball team schedules 2 more tuneup games

The defending baseball gold medalist South Korea scheduled two additional tuneup games Wednesday in its preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that South Korea will play the minor league military club Sangmu at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and then the KBO club LG Twins at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The team previously had only one scheduled game in the leadup to Tokyo, the 2 p.m. Sunday tilt against another KBO club, Kiwoom Heroes. All three games will be played

Olympic GamesJuly 21, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korean sabre fencers ready to defend throne in Tokyo: coach

TOKYO -- South Korea is going into the Tokyo Olympics ranked world No. 1 in the men's sabre fencing. The ace of the squad, Oh Sang-uk, is at the top of the individual rankings, too. The country has earned the favorite status in both the team and individual events here. And to hear coach Kim Hyoung-ryul tell it on Wednesday, all the prescouting work is complete. "We came here all prepared," Kim said. "For the final few days before the competition, it will come down to repeating w

Olympic GamesJuly 21, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] S. Korea to keep opening ceremony delegation to minimum amid COVID-19 concerns

TOKYO -- When the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics takes place Friday night, South Korea will only have a modest-size delegation representing the country. Citing COVID-19 infection concerns, South Korea will have six officials and around 50 athletes marching in at Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital, an official from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Wednesday. South Korea is sending 232 athletes and 122 officials to the competition. Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koun

SportsJuly 21, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] Officials quitting in disgrace, sponsors reduce presence in scandal-marred buildup

TOKYO -- Tokyo remains under a state of emergency due to a rising number of novel coronavirus cases. At this rate, the Olympic Games the Japanese capital is hosting this summer may be under a similar state before the competition even starts. The list of Olympic officials quitting in disgrace grew Monday, when Keigo Oyamada, the composer for the opening ceremony, resigned over the bullying of disabled children in the past. The departure came only four days before the opening festivities. Oyamad

Olympic GamesJuly 21, 2021

[Tokyo Olympics] From gymnast to baseball star to fencer, 2nd-generation athletes look to do families proud

South Korean artistic gymnast Yeo Seo-jeong will try to match in Tokyo this summer what her father did 25 years ago in Atlanta: win an Olympic medal. The 19-year-old Yeo won an Asian Games gold medal in the women's vault in 2018, adding it to the two Asian Games gold medals that her father, Yeo Hong-chul, won in 1994 and 1998. Her mother, Kim Yoon-ji, was also a gymnast, and she won bronze in the women's team event at the 1994 Asian Games. In that gymnast family, the senior Yeo is the only one

Olympic GamesJuly 20, 2021