"The Louder, the Better!" Archery Aces Take Center Stage at KIA Champions Field as Korea Prepares Intensely for the Asian Games

[Financial News] Korea’s gold-medal targets become even clearer amid a torrent of noise. The national archery team, aiming for a fifth consecutive title at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya, will step into the heart of the roaring crowd supporting the top team in professional baseball.
The Korea Archery Association (KAA) announced that the national team will conduct special training at Gwangju-KIA Champions Field on the 5th in preparation for the Asian Games.
The focus of the training is “extreme noise adaptation.” It was designed to help the athletes maintain their individual routines and concentration without wavering amid the various external stimuli and distractions that may arise during competition.
The thunderous cheers of spectators, the constant sound of amplifiers and stadium announcements, and the flashing electronic scoreboard make a baseball stadium completely different from the usually quiet environment of an archery training ground. This is Korea’s traditional yet intense training method for enduring pressure that feels even more real than actual competition.
The special training, beginning at 3:55 p.m. on the 5th, will feature six recurve archers: Kim Woo-jin of Cheongju City Hall, Kim Je-deok of Yecheon County Office, Lee Woo-seok of Kolon Exten Boys, Kang Chae-young of Hyundai Mobis, and Oh Ye-jin and Lee Yun-ji of Hyundai Mobis.
Six compound archers will also participate: Kim Jong-ho and Choi Yong-hee of Hyundai Steel, Choi Eun-gyu of Ulsan Nam District Office, Park Ye-rin of Korea National Sport University, Park Jeong-yun of Changwon City Hall, and Kang Yeon-seo of Bucheon G-Sports. A total of 12 elite athletes will take part and fine-tune their competitive instincts.
The highlight of the training will be a collaboration with baseball. After the special session, recurve archer Oh Ye-jin and compound archer Kim Jong-ho will take the mound to throw the ceremonial first pitches before the professional baseball game between the Kia Tigers and KT Wiz, offering baseball fans a unique experience.



After completing their training in Gwangju, the national archery team will move to the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong Province to continue its final preparations for the Asian Games.
Meanwhile, efforts to discover the next generation of archery aces are also moving forward on two fronts. The KAA will hold the first round of the 2027 national-team selection trials over two days, from the 4th to the 5th, at the Yecheon Jinho International Archery Field in North Gyeongsang Province.
A total of 288 archers have entered the first round: 96 men and 96 women in recurve, and 48 men and 48 women in compound.
Only 61 men and 61 women in recurve, along with 29 men and 29 women in compound—a total of 179 archers—will advance to the second round after surviving the fierce competition. The athletes representing Korea at the Asian Games will join the process from the second round and compete in a true head-to-head showdown.
A KAA official emphasized, "This first round of selection trials is the first gateway to earning the national-team badge for 2027. Through a fair and systematic selection process, we will select the strongest national team to dominate the international stage next year."


[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter