IPOH – South Korea are set to use the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup as a platform to achieve their goal of clinching the gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Taegeuks, who have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on three occasions (1996, 2010 and 2019), will enter the invitational tournament with zero expectations as they aim to give exposure to their squad, with an average age of 26.
Speaking to Scoop, head coach Min Tae-seok said that more tournament exposure like the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup would also help his side qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after missing out on this year’s edition in Paris.
The Koreans, ranked 11th in the world, missed out on the world’s biggest multisport event after losing to Ireland in a third-place Olympic qualifier in Valencia, Spain, in January.
For the record, India were the only Asian team out of 10 countries to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
“The team is very balanced, and we need experience in tournaments like the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup as it’s key for our team to excel in future prestigious tournaments like the Asian Games and possibly the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” said Tae-seok when met at the Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium in Ipoh.
“Missing the Olympics is definitely a big loss for us, but our focus is now on the 2026 Asian Games, and we are preparing the team to achieve the gold medal target.
“It’s been a while since we last won a gold medal in the Asian Games, so we are ready to fight for what we lost in the next edition.”
South Korea have won a total of eight medals (four golds, one silver and three bronzes) in Asian Games hockey since their first participation in the 1958 edition in Tokyo.
Their last gold medal in Asian Games hockey was won at the 2006 edition in Doha, Qatar.
At the same time, Tae-seok also commended the Speedy Tigers’ performance following his side’s 2-1 victory in their final warm-up match last night before the tournament, which is set to kick off tomorrow and run until May 11.
“The Malaysian team is very good and tactically strong. They were better compared to the last time we played in the Hangzhou Asian Games where we defeated them 4-3.
“The team looks more organised and much faster, especially when it comes to their counter-attacks,” Tae-seok added.
South Korea will take on Japan in their opening match of their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup campaign tomorrow. – May 3, 2024