Korean Air’s Han expresses his determination during the media day of the Dodram 2023-2024 V-League men’s team at Rivera Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Oct. 11.
Han (38, Korean Air)
Who participated in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and watched Korea’s first no-medal performance in 61 years, called for a systemic change in volleyball.
Han participated in the Dodram 2023-24 V-League Men’s Media Day at Hotel Rivera in Gangnam, Seoul, on Oct. 11, representing Korean Air.
Han joined the Korean national team for the Asian Games after returning from a preseason knee injury. Despite playing at less than
full strength after returning from injury, Han was unable to prevent Korea’s early exit from the Asian Games.
South Korea lost to the likes of India and Pakistan in the early stages of the tournament, finishing without a medal for the first time in 61 years since the 1962 Jakarta Games (5th place).
“It’s a shame,” said Han,
Who experienced the disaster on the field. I wanted to help the team, but I couldn’t help much. I feel sorry for my teammates.”
“The players and the Korean Volleyball Association must have learned a lot from the Asian Games. They must have recognized the need for change.”
The men’s volleyball disaster was not unique to the Asian Games.
The team finished fifth at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Asian Championships about a month before the Asian Games.
“If you look at other teams, the players and team staff are united, celebrating every point and feeling sorry for each other,” Han
said. On the other hand, there was no such atmosphere in the Korean national team.” “You can’t intentionally create such an
atmosphere. It can only come from the trust between the players and the staff.”
The comments support the diagnosis that the Korean volleyball team needs to change the way it operates after the Asian Games failure.
“Everything needs to change,” Han said. If the change is beneficial to the team, we should implement it immediately and go
through trial and error. It’s not good to have a system that just leaves (responsibility) to the players without trying and changing anything.”
Despite the setback, Han is determined to give Korean volleyball another chance in three years’ time.
“In three years, I will be 42 years old in Korea. But if I can help the team, I would like to participate in the Asian Games.” “It was
fun to join the national team from a young age. I want to create an atmosphere where all players feel positive about joining the national team.”
In conclusion, Han said, “I’m sure the players and fans were disappointed with the lack of success in international competitions.
The players will have to do their best to improve in the V-League. The first thing we need to do is to show the fans a better side of ourselves,” he urged his teammates. 스포츠토토링크