North Korea Confirms ~100-Athlete Delegation for Asian Games in Japan

SUMMARY

North Korea plans to send around 100 athletes across 14 sports to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, marking an important return to major sporting competition on Japanese soil. The delegation will be smaller than the 185 athletes North Korea sent to the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, but the country says it hopes to win more medals. The Games will take place from September 19 to October 4 in Nagoya and across Japan’s Aichi Prefecture.

SPORTS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS — North Korea plans to send around 100 athletes to the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, marking a notable return to major international sporting competition in a country where political relations with Tokyo remain strained.

The North Korean delegation is expected to compete in 14 sports when the Asian Games begin on September 19. The competition will run through October 4 in Nagoya and other locations across Japan’s Aichi Prefecture.

A Smaller Team With Bigger Ambitions

North Korea’s Olympic Committee secretary general, Ko Chol Ho, said the country expects to send approximately 100 athletes across 14 sports.

That would represent a substantial reduction from the country’s previous Asian Games delegation. North Korea sent 185 athletes competing in 18 sports at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which were postponed from 2022 and held in 2023.

Despite the smaller delegation, North Korean officials have expressed confidence that the team can improve its medal performance.

North Korea's Performance in Hangzhou

The Hangzhou Games were an important moment for North Korean sport because they marked the country's return to major international competition after a period of limited participation.

North Korean athletes won 39 medals in Hangzhou: 11 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze.

Weightlifting was particularly important to the country's medal haul, with North Korean lifters winning several gold medals and establishing world records in women's events.

North Korea will now attempt to build on that performance with a considerably smaller team.

Which Sports Will North Korea Enter?

The delegation is expected to compete in several sports where North Korea has traditionally been competitive.

Football, weightlifting, boxing and wrestling are among the disciplines expected to feature North Korean athletes.

Weightlifting is likely to receive particular attention because North Korea has developed a strong international reputation in the sport.

The country has also produced successful athletes in combat sports, giving it additional opportunities to compete for medals.

Why the Japan Games Are Significant

The decision to participate is notable because North Korea and Japan have a complicated political relationship.

North Korea did not participate in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, citing concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country subsequently missed other major international competitions during a period when Pyongyang maintained strict controls over overseas travel and international sporting participation.

The planned appearance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games therefore represents another step in North Korea's gradual return to international sport.

North Korea's Return to International Sport

North Korea began rebuilding its presence on the international sporting stage at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

It subsequently sent athletes to the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The country's participation in the upcoming Asian Games continues that process, although the delegation remains significantly smaller than the one sent to Hangzhou.

The pattern suggests that North Korea is increasingly willing to send selected athletes abroad for major competitions while maintaining a relatively cautious approach to international sporting activity.

Two Japan-Based Koreans Expected on the Team

The North Korean team is also expected to include two ethnic Koreans who live in Japan.

Footballer Ri Song-a and karate practitioner Jong Se-ri are expected to compete for North Korea.

Their participation adds another interesting dimension to the country's delegation because both athletes have links to Japan while representing North Korea at an international event hosted by Japan.

Sport and Politics

International sporting events can create unusual situations for countries with difficult diplomatic relationships.

Athletes from countries that rarely interact politically can meet, compete and sometimes cooperate within the same sporting environment.

For North Korea, participation in the Asian Games also provides an opportunity to present itself internationally through sport.

However, the country's participation does not necessarily signal an improvement in political relations with Japan.

The sporting relationship and the diplomatic relationship remain separate issues.

Japan Faces a Major Hosting Challenge

The North Korean delegation will arrive as Japan prepares to host one of Asia's largest sporting events.

The 2026 Asian Games are expected to feature more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries.

The Games will be centered on Nagoya and venues across Aichi Prefecture, with competitions also taking place in other Japanese locations.

Organizers have already faced logistical pressure because registrations have exceeded initial expectations, creating challenges involving accommodation and participant numbers.

A Different Approach From the Previous Games

North Korea's decision to send approximately 100 athletes rather than another delegation of nearly 200 suggests a more selective approach.

Rather than entering a very large number of events, the country appears focused on sports where it believes it has the strongest chances of winning medals.

This could make the team's medal efficiency more important than the overall size of its delegation.

Weightlifting Could Be the Key

If North Korea wants to surpass its previous medal performance with a smaller team, weightlifting could play a central role.

The sport has historically been one of the country's strongest areas at major international competitions.

Its success in Hangzhou demonstrated how a relatively small number of elite athletes can generate a significant portion of a country's medal total.

Strong performances in boxing, wrestling and football could provide additional opportunities.

What a Successful Games Would Look Like

North Korea's Olympic Committee has set an ambitious target despite the smaller team.

The objective is not simply to participate but to win more medals than at the previous Asian Games.

That would require the country's athletes to perform at a higher level on a per-athlete basis than they did in Hangzhou.

For a delegation of around 100 athletes, a strong medal performance would therefore be a significant achievement.

The Bigger Meaning for North Korean Sport

The Asian Games are important beyond the medal table.

Participation gives North Korean athletes opportunities to compete against some of Asia's strongest competitors and gain international experience.

It also allows North Korea's sporting system to measure itself against athletes from countries with much larger sporting infrastructures.

That experience can influence the development of future generations of athletes.

North Korea Is Returning, But Selectively

It would be premature to describe the upcoming Games as a complete return to unrestricted international sporting participation.

North Korea continues to approach overseas sporting events selectively.

The country missed the Tokyo Olympics and both the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, while gradually increasing participation in other competitions.

The planned delegation for Japan should therefore be viewed as part of a gradual reopening rather than a complete normalization of North Korea's international sporting presence.

The Road to September

North Korean athletes are expected to continue preparations ahead of the Games, with officials saying the team has been training intensively and that morale is high.

The final composition of the delegation and its entries across the 14 sports will determine exactly where North Korea has the strongest medal opportunities.

Once competition begins, the country's performance will provide a clearer indication of how successfully its elite sports system has maintained its level during years of restricted international participation.

Conclusion

North Korea's decision to send around 100 athletes to the Asian Games in Japan is a significant development for the country's international sporting presence.

The delegation will be smaller than the one that competed in Hangzhou, but North Korean officials are setting an ambitious target: winning more medals despite entering fewer sports.

Weightlifting, boxing, wrestling and football are expected to be among the team's main areas of focus.

More broadly, the Aichi-Nagoya Games will provide another test of North Korea's gradual return to international sport — and an unusual moment when North Korean athletes compete on Japanese soil despite the two countries' long-standing political tensions.