The South Korean men’s volleyball team will make its first appearance at the Asian Games 17 years after winning gold at the 2006 Doha Games.
The men’s volleyball team (ranked 27th in the world), led by head coach Lim Do-heon, will take on India (ranked 73rd) in their first Pool C match at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the 토토사이트 Linping Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.
Men’s soccer and volleyball will compete in the group stage before the official opening day.
South Korea will play its first match against India on Tuesday, followed by its second group match against Cambodia on Wednesday.
Men’s volleyball at the Asian Games will feature a total of 19 teams in six pools. The first and second place finishers in each group will advance to the round of 12 tournament.
If Korea finishes first in Pool C, they will meet the runner-up in Pool D, which includes Chinese Taipei, Pakistan, and Mongolia, in the first round of the round of 16. With a win, the top seed in Group F will face the favorite, Japan, for a spot in the semifinals.
South Korea has set its sights on gold at the Games.
South Korea first won an Asian Games gold medal in Bangkok in 1978, followed by podium finishes in Busan in 2002 and Doha in 2006.
However, recent results have been somewhat disappointing. They won back-to-back bronze medals in Guangzhou in 2010 and Incheon in 2014, and five years ago, they finished with silver behind Iran at the Palembang Asian Games in Jakarta.
Led by coach Lim Do-heon, South Korea is determined to regain its dominance on the Asian stage through a generational change.
Korea has added veteran setter Han (Korean Air), who was born in 1985, to its existing roster of Jeong Ji-seok, Lim Dong-hyuk (Korean Air), Hwang Taek-ui (Armed Forces Athletic Corps), Na Kyung-bok (Ministry of National Defense), Heo Soo-bong and Jeon Kwang-in (Hyundai Capital) ahead of the tournament.
The ‘Field Marshal’, who led Korean Air to its third consecutive title, is confident of winning her first gold medal on the Asian Games stage.
South Korea’s biggest rival is Iran. The Iranians have won back-to-back gold medals at Incheon 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and will be looking to make it three in a row at the Games.
Japan, who, along with Iran, have won a combined eight gold medals at the Asian Games, is also a tough opponent for Korea to overcome. Japan has emerged as the centerpiece of men’s volleyball in the world this year, finishing third in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), and will be looking to win their first title in 13 years since Guangzhou in 2010.
Meanwhile, Korea’s men’s volleyball team has won three gold, seven silver and four bronze medals on the Asian Games stage.