Sailors become 1st S. Korean athletes to arrive in Tokyo for Olympics

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, said Tuesday his sailors will check their equipment Wednesday and begin training Thursday.

Their races begin July 25, two days after the opening ceremony. Jin said several other teams have been in Tokyo for a few days for early preparation.

"We're cautiously optimistic about our chances of winning a medal," Jin said. "We're familiar with the surroundings here, and we won't have any jet lag. I think we're in a pretty good spot, compared to other foreign athletes."

Ha, who will be racing in his fourth consecutive Olympics, is considered the country's best hope for its first Olympic sailing medal. The 32-year-old ranked 13th in Laser at the previous Olympics in 2016, equaling the best performance by a South Korean sailor.

The sailors will be put up at Olympic Sailing Village near their competition venue, Enoshima Yacht Harbor in Enoshima, about 70 kilometers south of the main athletes' village in Tokyo.

To limit athletes' stays and guard against the spread of COVID-19, athletes can only move into their village five days prior to the start of their competition. Until then, South Korean sailors will stay at a hotel in Enoshima. (Yonhap)