CHENNAI: “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” goes the adage. For Korean Wrestling Federation (KWF) president Kim Ik-heon, there are no better words to describe the situation he is pitted with. With Korean Wrestling a shadow of its former self, the federation chief is doing everything to avoid the bad run.
Korea was shut out of the medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - the first time it had failed to reach the podium since 1972 - and also failed to grab a medal at Paris 2024.
In 2023, Korea managed just two bronze medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games - its worst Asian Games performance in 57 years.
Now ahead of the Asian Games, the KWF has promised gold medal winning wrestlers monthly supply of pork gift sets for two years, according to Korean news agency Yonhap news.
Reportedly, the president also owns a pork processing plant called Sankjuyakgan headquartered in Sangju, South Korea.
None of this was pre-planned, interestingly, it came out of the blue when the wrestlers, along with coach and former Olympic gold medallist An Han-bong, were trying to hold back tears as they left for Japan ahead of the Asian Games.
“We have our backs against the wall," An said at the Jincheon National Training Center. "I hope our athletes will go out and prove that Korean wrestling is not dead."
According to Kim, the wrestling program in Korea has been plagued by corruption and laid-back approach by wrestlers. "People in the sport have only been worried about their vested interests; instructors have been too casual in their response, and athletes have been a mess mentally," Kim said. "We cannot afford to just keep saying we will get back on our feet. We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror."
Additionally, those winning silver or bronze at the quadrennial bash will be given pork gift sets every month for a year