European country Russia participates in the Asian Games and competes with Asian countries.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which hosts the Asian Games, said on the 26th, “OCA believes in the unified power of sports. Athletes must compete against each other in international sporting events, regardless of their nationality and whether they hold a passport or not. Therefore, OCA will give Russian and Belarusian players a chance to participate in the Asian Games.”

In September 2023, the 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China. It was originally scheduled to be held in 2022, but was postponed for a year due to the intensifying spread of Corona 19 in China, the host country. For athletes preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, this Hangzhou Asian Games is a very important stage.

The Korean U-23 soccer team, led by head coach Hwang Seon-hong, is also hit. The Russian national football team ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings as of December 2022. It is ranked 37th, which has fallen for several months due to sanctions and discipline imposed by the Russian government for the invasion of Ukraine.

The goal of Korean football in the Hangzhou Asian Games is, of course, a gold medal. They won gold medals at the Jakarta/Palembang Asian Games in 2018 under coach Kim Hak-beom, and also won gold medals at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games led by the late coach Lee Kwang-jong. Korea is the most successful team in the Asian Games men’s soccer event, having won a total of five times. 스포츠토토

In addition to South Korea, Iran won the championship four times, India, Myanmar, and Taiwan won the championship twice each, and Japan, North Korea, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Qatar won the championship once each. As such, if Russia, an ‘uninvited guest’, participates in men’s football, where Korea is strong, the dream of winning a gold medal may be far away.

Russia does not stop at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, but looks forward to participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, it is known that he is preparing to participate in the Olympics as an individual player rather than as a team. Even inside the International Olympic Committee (IOC), there was a statement that Russian athletes are seeking individual participation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “Any ‘neutral flag’ of Russian players is obviously stained with blood. I am very disappointed with the IOC’s decision. If Russian athletes compete in international sporting events, terrorist states could influence sport politically in the future. We will stop this.”