Back to part-time jobs: Athletes in less popular sports face harsh realities

Korean athletes in less popular sports returned to demanding jobs after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Kim Geon-myeong works as a sanitation worker while training for kabaddi, a sport with no professional teams in Korea. Shin Ji-eun held various part-time jobs to raise about 7 million won for beach volleyball competitions. Their experiences highlight the financial and infrastructure challenges facing lesser-known sports as Korea reassesses its sports programs before the Los Angeles Olympics.

Kim Geon-myeong must report to work at 6 a.m. at the Geumjeong District Office in Busan, where he cleans streets, responds to public complaints, collects garbage and cracks down on illegal dumping.

Kim began working as a sanitation worker after failing to make Korea’s national kabaddi team for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.

Shin Ji-eun helped Korea secure its first-ever beach volleyball win at the Games and worked at a hamburger restaurant and helping people move to cover competition expenses.

Korean kabaddi and beach volleyball have no professional teams, while beach volleyball also lacks dedicated training facilities.

South Korea finished third overall at the Games, but its medal tally was its lowest in 44 years.

Published Oct 9, 2026 3:34 pm KST

Korean players enter the venue before the men’s kabaddi preliminary match against Japan at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Tokai Civic Gymnasium in Aichi prefecture, Japan, Sept. 24. Yonhap

For athletes in less popular sports, life after the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games can be harsh. Once the competition is over, they must return to demanding jobs to make a living.

Kim Geon-myeong, 32, a member of Korea’s kabaddi team, worked as a sanitation worker while preparing for the Asian Games, squeezing in training sessions before and after work even after making the national team. He took up kabaddi at the suggestion of Lee Jang-gun, 34, a senior from his university and one of the country’s leading players. After failing to make the national team for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Kim considered his career options before taking a job as a sanitation worker for the Geumjeong District Office in Busan.

There are no professional kabaddi teams in Korea. National team members hold different jobs, making it difficult even to coordinate team training sessions. Korean kabaddi gained public attention after winning silver at the 2018 Asian Games and Lee, its most recognizable player, appeared on television variety shows. However, the sport’s infrastructure remains underdeveloped.

Now that the Games are over, Kim has returned to his daily routine. He must report to work at 6 a.m. and continue cleaning streets across Geumjeong District, responding to public complaints, collecting garbage and cracking down on illegal dumping.

Shin Ji-eun, 25, who helped Korea secure its first-ever win in beach volleyball at the Games, has also relied on part-time jobs to support her athletic career. To raise approximately 7 million won (about $4,800) in expenses for overseas competitions, she took on a variety of jobs, from working at a hamburger restaurant to helping people move.

Beach volleyball has a limited foothold in Korea, with no professional teams and a shortage of dedicated training facilities. Shin’s victory at the Games offered a glimmer of hope for the sport’s future in the country.

But she, too, must return to the realities of everyday life.

“Honestly, our future is uncertain,” Shin said. “The system is such that we cannot continue as athletes through our own determination alone. Rather than talking about how we plan to train, the question is whether we can train at all.”

Korea’s Shin Ji-eun serves during her women’s beach volleyball round-of-16 match against China at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Aichi prefecture, Japan, Sept. 28. Yonhap

Athletes in less popular sports must continue training while shouldering the burdens of making a living and securing their futures. At times, such desperation can drive them to push beyond their limits. Yet behind the title of national team member lies a reality in which these sports are sustained largely by individual athletes’ sacrifices and passion.

South Korea maintained its position among Asia’s leading sporting nations, finishing third overall at the Games, but its medal tally was its lowest in 44 years. The country also faces the challenge of reviving sports that have traditionally been reliable sources of medals while expanding the base of newer disciplines.

With the Los Angeles Olympics just two years away, Korea is at a critical juncture in reassessing the competitiveness of its sports programs and finding ways to take them to the next level.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会后，一些韩国冷门体育项目的运动员重返工作岗位。金建明一边做着环卫工人的工作，一边训练卡巴迪——这项运动在韩国没有职业队伍。申智恩则身兼数职，为了筹集参加沙滩排球比赛所需的约700万韩元，她四处打零工。他们的经历凸显了在韩国重新评估其体育项目以备战洛杉矶奥运会之际，一些冷门体育项目所面临的资金和基础设施方面的挑战。

金建明早上6点必须到釜山金井区政府上班，他的工作包括清扫街道、处理公众投诉、收集垃圾和打击非法倾倒垃圾。

金在未能入选韩国国家卡巴迪队参加2018年雅加达和巨港亚运会后，开始做清洁工。

申智恩帮助韩国在奥运会上取得了有史以来第一个沙滩排球冠军，她曾在汉堡店打工，还帮人搬家，以支付比赛费用。

韩国卡巴迪和沙滩排球都没有职业队伍，而且沙滩排球也缺乏专门的训练设施。

韩国在奥运会上总成绩排名第三，但奖牌数却是44年来最低的。

发布于2026年10月9日下午3:34（韩国标准时间）

9月24日，在日本爱知县东海市民体育馆，韩国运动员在2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会男子卡巴迪预赛对阵日本的比赛前进入场馆。（韩联社）

对于那些参加不太热门项目的运动员来说，2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会之后的生活可能会很艰难。比赛结束后，他们必须重返高强度的工作岗位以维持生计。

32岁的金建明是韩国卡巴迪队队员，在备战亚运会期间，他一边做着环卫工人的工作，一边努力训练，即使入选国家队后，也依然在工作之余挤出时间进行训练。他是在34岁的大学学长李章根的建议下开始练习卡巴迪的，李章根是韩国顶尖卡巴迪运动员之一。在未能入选2018年雅加达和巨港亚运会国家队后，金建明开始认真考虑自己的职业选择，最终在釜山金井区政府找到了一份环卫工人的工作。

韩国目前没有职业卡巴迪队。国家队队员各司其职，甚至连协调团队训练都十分困难。韩国卡巴迪在2018年亚运会上获得银牌后开始受到公众关注，其最知名的球员李也曾亮相电视综艺节目。然而，这项运动的基础设施仍然欠发达。

奥运会结束后，金某恢复了日常工作。他每天早上6点必须到岗，继续在金井区清扫街道，处理市民投诉，收集垃圾，并打击非法倾倒垃圾的行为。

25岁的申智恩帮助韩国队在奥运会沙滩排球项目中首次夺冠，她也依靠兼职来维持自己的运动生涯。为了筹集参加海外比赛所需的约700万韩元（约合4800美元）的费用，她做过各种各样的工作，从在汉堡店打工到帮人搬家。

沙滩排球在韩国发展程度有限，既没有职业队伍，也缺乏专业的训练设施。申智英在奥运会上的胜利为这项运动在韩国的未来带来了一线希望。

但她也终究要回到日常生活中去。

“说实话，我们的未来充满不确定性，”申说。“现行体制不允许我们仅凭自身意志继续作为运动员发展。与其讨论如何训练，不如说我们是否还能训练才是关键。”

9月28日，在日本爱知县碧南绿地沙滩排球场举行的2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会女子沙滩排球16强赛中，韩国选手申智恩对阵中国队。（韩联社）

那些从事不太热门运动的运动员，必须在肩负谋生和保障未来的重担的同时，坚持训练。有时，这种困境会驱使他们超越极限。然而，在国家队队员的头衔背后，隐藏着一个残酷的现实：这些运动的维系，很大程度上依赖于运动员个人的牺牲和热情。

韩国保持了其在亚洲体育强国中的地位，在奥运会上总成绩排名第三，但奖牌总数却是44年来最低的。韩国还面临着重振传统奖牌强项并拓展新兴体育项目的挑战。

距离洛杉矶奥运会仅剩两年，韩国正处于重新评估其体育项目竞争力并寻找将其提升到更高水平的方法的关键时刻。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。