Lee Jun-seok wins South Korea's first Techball gold at Asian Games

Lee Jun-seok has secured South Korea’s first-ever gold medal in Techball at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Competing in the men’s singles final at the Nagoya Higashi Sports Center, Lee defeated Iraq’s Ali Jariel Mezher Aleyaoui with a set score of 2-0.

Techball, a sport involving playing a soccer ball on a curved table, was included as an official discipline for the first time at this edition of the Asian Games. Due to the sport's relative obscurity, national athletes have faced significant challenges, including preparing for competitions independently and some even resigning from their jobs to focus on training.

In response to this achievement, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced plans to support Techball athletes by providing access to the Jincheon National Training Center. Previously, athletes were unable to utilize the facility due to space constraints during peak training periods. Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min personally attended the final to congratulate the team and pledged to establish concrete measures to ensure athletes can utilize the Jincheon facility to foster the growth of the sport.