During South Korea's inexorable march to the baseball gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the defining moment for catcher Kang Min-ho came not in an at-bat or a defensive play but in an ejection. With South Korea nursing a 3-2 lead over Cuba in the bottom of the ninth inning in the gold medal showdown, Kang was tossed after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Carlos Rey. The angry catcher slammed his mask into the ground and threw his mitt toward the dugout on his way out. Cu

On paper, they may not jump off the page as medal contenders at the Tokyo Olympics. But Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo, representing South Korea in the Olympic men's golf tournament, understand the competition won't be played on paper. The two players qualified for the 60-man Olympic field as the top-two South Koreans on the world rankings as of June 21. Im, the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 2018-2019, was No. 26. Kim, a three-time tour winner, sat at No. 49. They have since slipped a notch and

Defending Olympic baseball champion South Korea added a left-handed pitcher to its roster Thursday, a day after an infielder took himself off the squad after breaching coronavirus safety protocols. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that Lotte Giants' 19-year-old lefty Kim Jin-uk will be the 11th pitcher on the Olympic team. Kim, the first overall pick at last year's draft, has gone 2-5 with an 8.07 ERA in 29 innings so far in his rookie campaign. He has struck out 26 but walked 2

With South Korea set to take on France in their final Olympic men's football tuneup Friday, head coach Kim Hak-bum sees the match as another opportunity for his players to build confidence. As far as the coach is concerned, it doesn't necessarily have to be a victory. It can be a collection of small moments within the match, such as connecting on long-distance passes, foiling the opposition's counterattack opportunities or creating dangerous chances from set pieces. The kickoff between the two

Through no fault of their own, the LG Twins have only played four games so far in July in the South Korean baseball league. And after the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) decided to suspend play Monday in light of multiple coronavirus cases from two clubs, it will stay that way for the rest of the month. KBO games scheduled from Tuesday to Sunday will be moved to later in the season, as the NC Dinos and the Doosan Bears have reported five combined cases of COVID-19. The league will then go on

The South Korean sailing team became the first group of athletes from the country to arrive in Tokyo for the upcoming Summer Olympics on Tuesday. The four-man sailing squad, with Ha Ji-min in the Laser event, Cho Won-woo in the RS:X event, and Park Gun-woo and Cho Sung-min teaming up in the 470 event, landed at Narita International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. They were joined by their two coaches: Song Myung-keun and Ilias Mylonas. Head coach Jin Hong-chul, who had already been in Japan, sa

Professional sports games and Olympic football tuneup matches in the greater Seoul area will be played without spectators starting next week, under heightened social distancing rules in place in the region. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) both announced Friday that games in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will be held behind closed doors. Earlier in the day, the government announced it will place Seoul and its nearby regions, cov

The volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung and teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo will carry the South Korean flag at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced the two athletes as the country's flag-bearers Wednesday. The opening ceremony for the 32nd Summer Olympics will take place in the Japanese capital on July 23. Kim, 33, is one of the most popular athletes in South Korea. Long considered one of the world's top female volleyb

The South Korean Olympic baseball team will hold its first practice on July 20 in the nation's capital, nine days before launching its gold medal defense. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday the training schedule for the national team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The KBO's pro league will go on an Olympic break from July 19 to Aug. 9, and the Olympic team, comprised entirely of KBO stars, will gather at a Seoul hotel on July 19. The first practice will be July 20 at Goche

While preparing his players for the Tokyo Summer Games kicking off this month, Kim Hak-bum, head coach of the South Korean men's Olympic team, ran some grueling conditioning drills across two training camps over the past month or so. Kim wanted to ensure his players would be ready to battle in notoriously scorching and humid summer conditions in Japan. Now that he has finalized his 18-man squad -- many of them having been whipped into shape by the coach -- Kim's focus will shift to more tangibl

The men's football roster at this year's Tokyo Olympics will be expanded from 18 players to 22, the sport's national governing body said Thursday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it received a notification from FIFA late Wednesday announcing the expansion of the squad for the July 23-Aug. 8 Olympics. Teams were originally limited to 18 players, with up to four alternates allowed in case of injuries. Under the change, the four alternates will be part of the full squad, but teams can o

Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong have made a career out of beating Japanese rivals in international women's badminton doubles competitions. And they'd love to have another shot at beating a Japanese tandem for a medal at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Kim and Kong are ranked fifth in the world in women's doubles. South Korea also boasts the No. 4-ranked women's doubles team in Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan. Of all badminton disciplines at the Olympics, South Korea should have its best chance o

Park In-bee has accomplished a lot in her LPGA Hall of Fame career, but the gold medal from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics occupies a special place in her heart. Now on the verge of qualifying for her second straight Olympics, Park can't wait to have that experience again. "I've achieved a lot in golf, won a lot of majors, won a lot of tournaments, but winning the gold medal was something really different," Park said at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, on Tuesday (loc

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Up to 10,000 domestic spectators will be allowed in Tokyo 2020 venues, Olympics organisers said on Monday, a decision that cuts against the recommendation of medical experts who said holding the event without fans was the least risky option. The announcement ends months of speculation and highlights Japan's determination to push on with the Games and salvage the multi-billion-dollar extravaganza amid public opposition and deep concern about a resurgence in infections. The de

Former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Im Sung-jae and three-time winner Kim Si-woo have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. On the latest world rankings announced Monday following the US Open, Im was the top South Korean at No. 26. Kim was next at No. 49. For men's golf at the Olympics, the top-15 players in the rankings as of Monday will automatically qualify, with a limit of four golfers per country. Beyond that, a maximum of two players from each country that doesn't already have two or more pla