Korea’s 2026 Asian Games basketball gold medalists spoke out about the shockingly poor tournament conditions they endured on the October 10 episode of JTBC’s “Knowing Bros.”
According to News1 reporter Lee Seul-gi’s report published October 11, host Seo Jang-hoon opened the topic, saying, “No matter how cheaply they tried to run the Asian Games, there seemed to be a lot of problems.”
The men’s team slept three to a container box, player Lee Woo-seok revealed, with beds that only reached up to their calves. Women’s team player Kang Yi-seul said she and her teammates were fortunately moved to a hotel just as the men were suffering through the container stay.
Kang also described locker room frustration: Korea used temporary lockers with folding chairs and a single bathroom all tournament, while opponents like Malaysia and Indonesia used the main locker room. “I didn’t use it once until the final,” she said. “I wondered why they didn’t give the Korean team the good locker.”
Food was poor and the same dishes kept repeating, and player Lee Jung-hyun bought food at a convenience store instead. Lee Woo-seok also recounted being stranded at the gym for about eight hours in heavy rain, while training was canceled on final day because the bus never came. No official statement from organizers was available.
