Koreas confirm roster for joint teams at Asian Para Games

SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — The roster for joint Korean teams at the 3rd Asian Para Games has been confirmed, Seoul’s disabled sports body said Friday.

The Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC) said the two Koreas will form joint teams in the men’s table tennis team competition (TT6-7 category) and the men’s freestyle relay and mixed relay events at this year’s Asian Games in Jakarta.

The KPC said South Korea’s Park Hong-kyu and Lee Se-ho will team up with North Korea’s Pak Kum-jin and Kim Yong-rok in table tennis. North Korea’s Ri Chol-ung will serve as head coach for the unified table tennis team, the KPC added.

In swimming, the KPC said South Korea’s Kwon Yong-hwa (S7 category), Lim Woo-geun (SB5) and Kwon Hyun (S9) will compete together with North Korea’s Jong Guk-song (S9) in the men’s freestyle relay. For the mixed relay, South Korea’s Kwon Hyun, Kwon Yong-hwa, Lee Dong-gu (S7), Kim Sae-hun (S9) and Jeon Hyung-woo (S9) join hands with North Korea’s Jong and Sim Song-hyok.

South Korean head coach Sun Chang-yong will lead the unified Korean swimming team.

South and North Korea are joining forces for the first time in their para sports history at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta. They will also have a joint parade at the opening ceremony and will run Team Korea House together.

The 3rd Asian Para Games will be held from Saturday to Oct. 13.

This pool photo, taken Oct. 4, 2018, shows the North Korean delegation’s chef de mission, Jong Hyon (L), shaking hands with South Korea’s chef de mission, Jun Min-sik, during a welcome ceremony at the athletes’ village in Jakarta for the 3rd Asian Para Games. (Yonhap)