Korean Surfing Team Holds First Joint Training in Yangyang Ahead of 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games

The Korea Surfing Association (대한서핑협회), headed by president Seo Jong-hee, said on July 9 that it held a two-day orientation and skills programme for its 2026 national team on July 7 and 8 at the marine sports centre in Yangyang County, Gangwon State.

Sixteen surfers named to the 2026 national team and reserve squad took part, along with national team instructors and coaches. The association described the programme as the starting point for the system it is putting in place for international competition, including the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The Yangyang marine sports centre was designated an official surfing training venue in May by the Korea Surfing Association, Yangyang County and the Yangyang County Surfing Association.

The designation follows the association's effort to have surfing included among the national qualifications for recreational and professional sports instructors, and the association plans to develop Yangyang County into a base for surfing instruction and instructor certification courses nationwide. The national team programme was the first held for team members since the venue was designated.

On the first day, July 7, sessions covered the rules national team members must follow, anti-doping, violence prevention, human rights in sport and sportspersonship, followed by a meeting with the squad and an open discussion.

On the second day, July 8, two intensive sessions on game management were held, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The game management programme focuses on helping surfers read the flow of a heat at international events and respond to conditions such as wave quality and judging decisions.

The association ran the entire programme in person, saying it aimed to raise the athletes' sense of responsibility and ethics along with their understanding of international competition rules. It said it would build on the programme to professionalise how the national team is run and prepare for the Asian Games and other international events.

"Being on the national team is not something that is completed by performance alone," Seo Jong-hee, president of the Korea Surfing Association, said. "I hope this programme helps the athletes show the standing and competitiveness of Korean surfing on the international stage."