Sabre fencer Oh Sang-uk feels Asia's fencing getting stronger

For fencer Oh Sang-uk, who defended his title in the men's individual sabre Wednesday, this year's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games provided a different experience from his two previous appearances. He collected the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games and the gold at the 2023 edition. In both final bouts, he fought with legendary Korean fencer Gu Bon-gil, who had won the individual title at three straight Asian Games since 2010. Here in Japan, Oh faced a Chinese fencer in the final, his first non-Korea

Sept. 23, 2026

S. Korea adds 3 swimming medals as competition winds down

South Korea swooped up three more medals in the pool at the Asian Games on Wednesday, raising its total to 12 medals with two more days left in Tokyo. Hwang Sun-woo claimed silver in the men's 200-meter freestyle at Tokyo Aquatics Centre with a time of 1:44.62, as he came up short of winning his second straight gold. Zhang Zhanshuo of China won the gold medal in 1:43.49, breaking Hwang's Asian record of 1:43.92. Kim Seung-won won bronze in the women's 100m backstroke in 1:00.10 for her second in

Sept. 23, 2026

S. Korea loses to Japan, settles for bronze in women's badminton team title defense

South Korea lost to Japan in the semifinals of the women's badminton team event at the Asian Games on Wednesday, settling for bronze in its gold medal defense. After losing the opening match, Japan won the next matches in a row to knock off South Korea 3-1 at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya, just northwest of the main host city, Nagoya, Japan. With no third-place match, South Korea and Indonesia, the other semifinal loser, both received bronze medals. South Korea's lone match w

Sept. 23, 2026

S. Korea clobbers Thailand to reach next phase in baseball

The four-time defending champion South Korea ran its baseball winning streak to three games at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday, with a comfortable, 18-1 victory over Thailand. Park Jae-hyun and Park Jun-soon each smoked a grand slam in Group B action at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Baseball Stadium in Okazaki, some 50 kilometers southeast of the main host city Nagoya, Japan, though South Korea gave up a run for the first time in the tournament. By winning all three games in the group phase,

Sept. 23, 2026

Choo Ga-eun captures gold in women's 10m air pistol shooting

Choo Ga-eun was on target for the gold medal in the women's 10-meter air pistol event at the ongoing Asian Games on Wednesday, bringing South Korea its first gold of the competition. Choo scored a new Asian record of 246.3 points to win her first Asian Games gold medal in her debut at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, some 25 kilometers east of the main host city of Nagoya. Shen Yijao of China was a distant second with 241.3 points, and her countrywoman Jiang Ranxin took the

Sept. 23, 2026

Soccer federations doubt Infantino pledge

BERLIN (Reuters) -- FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to review the governing body's decision-making processes has failed to ease concerns among several member associations, with soccer officials in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Wales saying the reforms do not address deeper leadership issues. In a letter sent Monday to FIFA's 211 member associations and seen by Reuters, Infantino proposed an independent review of FIFA's decision-making processes as well as consultations on gover

Sept. 23, 2026

S. Korean stars Oh Sang-uk, Hwang Sun-woo set for title bids at Asian Games

South Korean fencing and swimming stars Oh Sang-uk and Hwang Sun-woo will compete for Asian Games titles on the piste and in the pool at this year's Asiad in Japan on Wednesday. Oh is one of South Korea's most decorated fencers, having won multiple Olympic gold medals and world championship titles. At the Asian Games, he won the team title in 2018, and swept the individual and team sabre titles in 2023. In Nagoya, Oh will aim to sweep the men's individual and team sabre gold medals again, as he

Sept. 23, 2026

Song Se-ra wins women's epee gold for first individual Asian Games title

South Korean fencing star Song Se-ra captured her first individual Asian Games gold medal Tuesday, defeating Singapore’s Kiria Tikanah in the women’s epee final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Song, ranked No. 3 in the world, beat Tikanah 15-8 at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi prefecture, giving South Korea its sixth gold medal of the Games. The 33-year-old entered the competition as a two-time individual world champion, having won the women’s epee title at the 2022 and 2026 World Champ

Sept. 22, 2026

Song Se-ra reaches women's epee final after dramatic comeback

South Korean fencing star Song Se-ra advanced to the women’s individual epee final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday after pulling off a dramatic 15-14 comeback victory over Japan’s Tamaki Terayama. Song, ranked No. 3 in the world, came from behind in the closing stages of the semifinal at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Aichi prefecture, to move within one victory of her first individual Asian Games gold medal. The 33-year-old took a 3-2 lead in the opening period before Terayama fought ba

Sept. 22, 2026

S. Korea’s track and field stars ready to hit the ground running

Team Korea will kick off its track and field campaign at the Asian Games starting Wednesday, with high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok leading the charge for the country’s first athletics gold medal in eight years. A total of 50 gold medals will be awarded over six days, with South Korea expected to compete for medals in events including the men’s high jump, 4x100-meter relay and shot put. No Korean athlete will enter the competition under greater expectations than Woo. The 30-year-old has won two world i

Sept. 22, 2026

World No. 1 An Se-young smashes her way to semifinals

World No. 1 An Se-young opened her Asian Games campaign Tuesday, overwhelming her Malaysian opponent as South Korea reached the semifinals of the women's badminton team event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. Playing the first singles match against Malaysia in the quarterfinals, An beat world No. 28 Letshanaa Karupathevan 2-0, taking the opening game in just 16 minutes. Korea won the best-of-five match 3-1. "You can't handle the pressure of a stage this big without going a little crazy,"

Sept. 22, 2026

South Korea picks up silver in mixed team shooting

South Korea won silver in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event at the Asian Games on Tuesday, its first silver medal in shooting after winning two bronze medals earlier in the competition. Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun finished second with 502.9 points in the final at Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Toyota, about 25 kilometers east of the main host city of Nagoya. China's Wang Zifei and Sheng Lihao won gold with a world record total of 507.1 points. Japan took bronze with 439.7 po

Sept. 22, 2026

Infantino proposes consulting federations to reform FIFA

PARIS (AFP) -- FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Monday proposed consulting member associations on reforming the world soccer governing body's decision-making process, according to a letter sent to FIFA's 211 member associations and seen by Agence France-Presse. "I will propose that the Council establish a direct, structured and time-limited consultation with confederations, Member Associations and relevant stakeholders on how FIFA's decision-making can be further strengthened," Infantino wrote

Sept. 22, 2026

S. Korean fencers, swimmers set to headline Asian Games events

South Korean fencers, spearheaded by Song Se-ra, seek their second consecutive title in women's team epee at this year' Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday. South Korea won the event at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games for the first time in about 20 years. Song is at the forefront of the team, having been a member of the last gold medal-winning squad and winning silver in the individual event three years ago. In the pool, South Korean swimmers, including Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Young-beom, will p

Sept. 22, 2026

S. Korea falls to Japan in women’s volleyball, heads to bronze match

South Korea lost to Japan in the semifinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the Asian Games on Monday, dropping to the bronze medal contest against Thailand. Japan defeated South Korea in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-16) in the semifinals at Park Arena Komaki in Komaki, just north of Nagoya. South Korea went undefeated in the group phase and eliminated Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals but could not get past the host country in its quest for its first gold since 2014. South Korea w

Sept. 21, 2026