The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), led by President Yoo Seung-min, announced Wednesday that it will support a training camp residency for the esports national team at the Jincheon National Training Center from Wednesday through Friday, a two-night, three-day program.
The first-ever training camp residency for an esports team was organized to build team pride and cohesion ahead of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Summer Asian Games, which open in September.
Esports made its debut as an official Asian Games discipline at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with seven events, and the number has since expanded to 11 for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. A total of 22 athletes competing across six titles — PUBG Mobile, Puyo Puyo Champions, eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, Pokémon Unite and Identity V — will take part in the residency and experience life at the national training center as members of the national team.
During the residency, the esports delegation will use the training center's facilities and attend a special lecture by Jincheon National Training Center Director Kim Taek-su to strengthen their sense of pride as national team representatives. The athletes will also participate in "Cheer UP Stage," a morale-boosting event marking 50 days to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where they will interact with athletes from other sports and build unity as Team Korea.
The delegation will also run its own program of activities — including collaborative training with the Korea Institute of Sport Science, anti-doping education and discipline-specific practice sessions — to accelerate Asian Games preparations during the residency.
"We warmly welcome the esports national team to the training center for the first time," Kim said. "We hope they draw on their pride in representing the country and deliver their best performances at the Asian Games."
yjc@heraldcorp.com
