Fencer Jeon Ha-young, climber Seo Chae-hyun lead Seoul city team into Asian Games

Seventeen members of the Seoul Metropolitan Government sports team will represent South Korea at the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, competing for medals across multiple disciplines.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said 16 athletes and one coach from its municipal sports program will take part in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which run from Saturday through Oct. 4.

The squad will compete in seven sports: sport climbing, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, handball, athletics and women's football. In sport climbing, Seo Chae-hyun — ranked No. 1 in the world in women's lead — will be joined by Lee Do-hyeon in men's bouldering and Jeong Ji-min in women's speed.

The fencing contingent includes Jeon Ha-young, a silver medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, along with Park Ji-hee and Shim So-eun, both making their Asian Games debuts.

In gymnastics, Ryu Seong-hyeon, who finished fourth in the floor exercise at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will bid for a medal. The handball squad features Woo Bit-na, Jo Eun-bin and Jeong Jin-hee, who will compete under Seoul city team head coach Jeong Yeon-ho.

Min Gyeong-ho, Lee Jin-gu and Park Do-young will represent the team in cycling, while Shin Min-gyu will compete in the 400 meters and Kim Min-ji and Kang Tae-gyeong in women's football.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government currently runs municipal sports teams across 23 disciplines and 25 squads, with 189 athletes, focusing primarily on less popular and underserved sports.

At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, Seoul city athletes claimed 10 medals — two gold, six silver and two bronze. At the Paris Olympics, fencers Yun Ji-su and Jeon Ha-young won silver medals, while taekwondo athlete Lee Da-bin took bronze. At the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games, the team collected five medals in all, including gold medals by short-track speed skaters Shim Seok-hee and Park Ji-won along with three silvers. At the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, short-track skater Shim Seok-hee won gold.

Beyond athletic performance, the city also supports athletes in planning their post-retirement careers. It subsidizes university and graduate school tuition to help players prepare for coaching roles or other paths after competition, and facilitates talent-sharing programs in which athletes work with residents, students and people with disabilities.

"We hope the athletes will showcase the skills they have honed and achieve great results," said Jo Seong-ho, director of Seoul's tourism and sports bureau.