Korea Sports Council Holds Awards Ceremony for Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games... 'MVP' Oh Sang-uk and 10 Others Honored, Including Techball's Lee Jun-seok

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The Taeguk Warriors who delivered a dazzling performance at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games, bringing emotion to the nation, gathered in one place.

The Korea Sports Council (President Yoo Seung-min) announced that it held the "2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games Republic of Korea Team Outstanding Athletes Awards Ceremony" on the stage of the 107th National Sports Festival Promotion Pavilion inside Jeju World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 17th.

The event was organized to encourage athletes and coaches who demonstrated fighting spirit at the Asian Games held from September 19 to October 4. The Korea Sports Council expanded the scale of awards compared to the previous Hangzhou Games and established a new coach award, selecting a total of 10 Myeong Ui (수상) recipients for categories including MVP, Fighting Spirit Award, Skill Development Award, Leadership Award, and Special Award, and held a separate ceremony to celebrate their achievements.

At the ceremony, attended by more than 200 Jeju Island residents, key award winners including Oh Sang-uk (fencing), Lee Jun-seok (techball), Coach Bae Gil-tae (men's 3x3 basketball), and Park Min-ho (athletics marathon) took the stage in person.

The prestigious MVP award went to Oh Sang-uk, the star of men's sabre fencing. Oh won both the individual and team events, securing a double crown for the second consecutive Games. In particular, he left a strong impression by completing a dramatic comeback as the final fencer in the team final against Japan, turning a 41-44 deficit into a 45-44 victory. Oh was awarded a prize of 30 million won.

Lee Jun-seok, who won the inaugural gold medal in men's singles techball, a sport making its debut as an official event, received the Fighting Spirit Award along with a prize of 10 million won. Coach Bae Gil-tae, who led the men's 3x3 basketball national team to secure the first-ever Asian Games gold medal in the discipline, became the recipient of the newly established Leadership Award (prize: 10 million won). Byun Jeong-cheol, Won Bong-sa-ja (CEO), joined Coach Bae at the podium, adding significance to the moment.

Marathon runner Park Min-ho, who overcame severe pain during the race to finish, received the Special Award and a Seresem healthcare product as a prize. Park, who is part of the National COLONY Corps, was awarded by Senior Sergeant Lee Jong-hoon of the Marine Corps, a fellow military serviceman. Park stated, "Running with the Taeguk mark meant it was not just my personal race, so I could not give up," adding, "I endured to the end with the mindset of taking the best possible step at that moment."

The event added warmth as military servicemen and volunteers who have been quietly dedicated on the ground participated directly as presenters, followed by a reciprocal ceremony in which Yoo Seung-min (Chairman) presented them with commemorative gifts to express gratitude.

Yoo Seung-min, President of the Korea Sports Council, said, "The emotion conveyed on the Asian stage is the fruit of the sweat of athletes and coaches, along with the support of the people." He emphasized, "I am grateful to all those who are watching over the scene today, including military servicemen and volunteers, and we will spare no effort in providing support so that the team's efforts are respected and lead to their next challenge."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original