South Korea aims to win 10 to 12 gold medals in next year’s London Olympics, the local Olympic chief said Friday.
“We are under a great deal of pressure since South Korea won a record number of medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics,” said Park Yong-sung, president of the Korean Olympic Committee, in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. “But we will do our best to live up to people’s expectation with results matching our strong performance in Beijing.”
South Korea finished seventh in the 2008 Summer Olympics with 31 medals, including 13 golds.
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Park Yong-sung, president of the Korean Olympic Committee.( Yonhap News) |
Some 250 South Koreans will take part in the London Olympics set to open on July 27, Park said.
South Korea is likely secure golds in events including archery, taekwondo, judo, fencing and wrestling, he added.
He vowed full support for the athletes so they are in top condition for the Olympics. For this, South Korea will set up a training camp equipped with a gym, a dormitory and a cafeteria in London for the athletes, he said.
Kim also said South Korea’s preparations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics are well on track.
“Construction to build the infrastructure will begin next year,” Kim said.
“We must construct the railway between Gangneung and Wonju and an ice link in Gangneung as early as possible to make use of them before the Olympics period. We must also train Olympics staff members starting next year,” he added.
In July, PyeongChang, an alpine town located some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, was chosen to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in bidding against Munich of Germany and Annecy of France.
It was PyeongChang’s third successive attempt to host South Korea’s first Winter Olympics.
(Yonhap News)
