The women's handball team expressed its determination to become the only Korean ball sport to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On the afternoon of the 20th, the Korea Handball Association held a 'Media Day for the Start of Women's National Handball Team Training' at the handball court on the 3rd floor of the Jincheon Athletes' Village Oryun Hall.

In attendance were 21 players, coaches including the Swedish national team coach Henrik Signel, and executives and staff of the Handball Association.

Coach Signel said, “Our players are doing their best every day. “I hope the athletes’ sweat will not be in vain,” he said. “I know that this Olympics will be a difficult challenge for us. “Our opponents probably won’t think of us as contenders for the title, but we have skills that Europe doesn’t have.”

He continued, “A medal may also be possible. I don't want to conclude that it's impossible. However, rather than a specific goal of a medal, I would like to focus on preparing as best as I can for each game,” he added.

Coach Signel also said, “We may not be objectively stronger than our opponent, but we can play quickly and agilely. He is also capable of making smart plays and is traditionally strong in assist defense and assist attack,” he said. “In Korea, we are training with a focus on physicality. “I will focus on strategy and team play during overseas training,” he said, showing strong trust in the players.

Regarding dealing with his home country, Sweden, he said, “They have strong organizational skills and a strong sense of cooperation. The players play for big clubs in Europe. But I also know the shortcomings. “I can’t reveal it here, but I know their habits well, so it will be an advantage for me,” he said. “It won’t be easy, but I have faith that it’s worth trying. It would be a big help that I'm Swedish. “I would be extremely happy if we beat Sweden,” he said. Team captain Shin Eun-joo (Incheon Metropolitan City Hall) said, “Despite the difficult situation, our primary goal is to pass the group stage. “I want to advance to the quarterfinals,” he said, adding, “If you show a lot of interest and support, I will do my best to achieve good results.” Korean women's handball achieved the miracle of winning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and received national love through the movie 'The Best Moment of Our Lives'. Shin Eun-ju, who saw the miracle of 'Eussaeng-soon', hoped for another 'Paris Eu-saeng-soon'. Shin Eun-joo said, “I dreamed of watching ‘Woo Saeng-soon,’ and I want to follow in the footsteps of my seniors, but we are lagging behind.” “He emphasized. The women's handball team is receiving a lot of attention at the Paris Olympics. Men's soccer, which was the most popular sport, failed to travel to Paris, becoming the only ball sport for the Korean national team. Although the unexpected attention felt burdensome, he expressed his determination to enjoy it. Starting goalkeeper Park Sae-young (Samcheok City Hall) said, “It is a burden (being the only ball game to receive attention), but I will do my best to show my growth at the Olympics.” Core striker Woo Bit-na (Seoul City Hall) said, “Like (Park) Sae-young said, it’s a lie to say that there is no pressure. (Rather) I think receiving attention and focus was a better opportunity (to promote handball),” he said. “This is my first time attending the Olympics, and I am thankful for this great opportunity.” “I will play a good game,” he said. Meanwhile, the women's handball team entered the Jincheon Athletes' Village on the 13th and is working hard to preserve the pride of the Korean ball game. The national team will conduct its first domestic pre-training at the Jincheon Athletes' Village until the 1st of next month, and then hold its first European training camp in Sweden and Norway from the 2nd to the 21st. Afterwards, they will complete their second domestic training at the Jincheon Athletes' Village from July 1st to 8th, and then leave for their second European training camp in Spain and the Netherlands from the 9th to the 19th. It is known that practice games with club teams from each country are scheduled during the European training period. After undergoing preliminary local adaptation training in France until the 22nd, they will enter the French Olympic Village and begin the competition schedule in earnest. Korea, participating in its 11th consecutive Olympics, was placed in Group A, along with five European countries including Germany (July 25th), Slovenia (28th), Norway (30th), Sweden (August 1st), and Denmark (3rd). Compete. If they get two wins, they will advance to the quarterfinals starting on August 6th, but as European countries become stronger, a difficult group stage schedule is expected. Korean women's handball has performed well on the world stage, winning gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Games and the 1992 Barcelona Games, and winning silver and bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games, respectively. However, it has not been competitive in recent events such as the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games (10th place) and the 2020 Tokyo Games (8th place). This convening includes Park Sae-young, Kim Bo-eun (Samcheok City Hall), Jeong Jin-hee, Woo Bit-na, Su-yeon Jo, Song Ji-young (Seoul City Hall), Kang Gyeong-min, Kang Eun-hye (SK), and Shin Jin-mi (Busan facility), who confirmed their passage to the Olympics in the Asian qualifiers for the last Paris Olympics. Corporation) and Kang Eun-seo (Incheon Metropolitan City Hall) were named. Eunbin Jo (Seoul City Hall), Hyewon Lee (Busan Facilities Corporation), and Jiyeon Jeon (Samcheok City Hall) also joined the Olympic team following the 2023 World Championships. Korean women's handball star Ryu Eun-hee (Hungary's doctrine) was also included. Ryu Eun-hee, who plays for Hungary, will join her national team for the first training camp. 19가이드03