Inside Korea's esports training camp, where gamers get Olympic-style care

Busan e-sports Arena in central Seomyeon was turned into an exclusive training camp for Korea’s national esports team on Sept. 5 as it prepared for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The League of Legends roster, including Lee Sang-hyeok, arrived in Busan after finishing domestic schedules and will play warm-up matches against Thailand and Vietnam this weekend. KeSPA is running the camp with support that includes physical therapists and mental preparation.

KeSPA said the Busan camp was closed to outsiders on Aug. 25 and has since operated as an exclusive national team training facility.

The 41-person delegation includes 36 athletes and five coaches.

The Asian Games has expanded its esports program to 11 medal events, four more than at Hangzhou.

Korea won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze in esports at the Hangzhou Asian Games and placed second behind China.

Korea will enter nine of the 11 medal events this year, including League of Legends, fighting games, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Identity V, Gran Turismo 7, eFootball series and Puyo Puyo Champions.

Published Sep 16, 2026 12:05 am KST

Top gamers receive Olympic-level physical therapy, sleep monitoring, mental preparation at exclusive Busan camp

National esports team listen to the national anthem during a launch ceremony for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Sangam Cube Convention Center in western Seoul, Aug. 25. From left are Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok and Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyung. Yonhap

BUSAN — When the elevator doors opened at Busan e-sports Arena in central Seomyeon on Sept. 5, a black partition blocked the view.

Although normally open to the public, the venue was closed to outsiders that day, converted into an exclusive training camp reserved for the national esports team. With national team insignia and cheering slogans filling the interior walls, the facility resembled the Jincheon National Training Center, Korea’s premier Olympic training complex.

The national esports team, competing in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, is finalizing preparations at the venue. League of Legends (LoL) national team players, including Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, will join the Busan camp after completing their domestic seasons.

The Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) announced on Monday that the LoL roster finished their domestic schedules Sunday and traveled directly to Busan to begin a bootcamp and scrims. The squad will play warm-up matches against Thailand and Vietnam this weekend to prepare.

Led by head coach Kang Dong-hoon, former head coach of KT Rolster, the roster features Lee, who won a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, alongside Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Ryu "Keria" Min-seok, Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu and Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyung.

The Asian Games expanded its esports program this year to 11 medal events, four more than the Hangzhou Games, with competition scheduled for late September and early October. At Hangzhou, where esports was first contested as an official event, Korea secured two gold medals, one silver and one bronze, ranking second behind China, which took four gold and one bronze. This time, China is not participating in LoL, altering the competitive landscape for the Korean team.

Competitors in other titles joined the camp late last month. KeSPA temporarily closed the arena to the public on Aug. 25 and has been operating it as an exclusive national team training facility.

The 41-person delegation — 36 athletes and five coaches — begins training around 10 a.m. and trains into the night. Training sometimes lasts past midnight.

A black partition announcing a temporary closure stands at the entrance of Busan e-Sports Arena in Busanjin District, Busan, Sept. 5. Korea Times photo by Gim Hyung-jun

Physical therapists, mental preparation

The support system rivals that of the Jincheon National Training Center. Three dedicated physical therapists monitor the players' physical condition and assist with recovery.

"We check each player’s fitness and health to provide customized fitness programs, while continuously monitoring sleep and recovery," a KeSPA official said. "We are also conducting psychological assessments, anxiety management and mental preparation."

The interior of Busan e-Sports Arena / Captured from Busan e-Sports Arena website

Considering the physical toll of prolonged sitting and the mental fatigue of making repeated split-second decisions, KeSPA is taking an integrated approach to players' physical health, sleep and mental preparation.

"The environment is well equipped so that we can focus solely on training. We are also receiving ample support, which helps us train while maintaining good condition," said Lee "MaDKof" Kwang-no, 45, who is competing in The King of Fighters XV.

National esports team players competing in fighting game events clap during a launch ceremony for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Sangam Cube Convention Center in western Seoul, Aug. 25. From left are Bae "Knee" Jae-min of Tekken 8, Yeon "DakCorgi" Je-gil of Street Fighter 6 and Lee "MaDKof" Kwang-no of KOF XV.

For the athletes across these titles, the national uniform carries a strong sense of duty.

"As I am competing at the event as a national team player, I will do my utmost to achieve the best possible result," said, 23-year-old Han "Namu3" Seong-geon, who is competing in Honor of Kings.

Korea will enter nine of the 11 medal events: LoL, fighting games, such as Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, The King of Fighters XV, and Pokemon Unite, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games version), Identity V (Asian Games version), Gran Turismo 7, eFootball series and Puyo Puyo Champions.

A notice restricting public entry is posted at Busan e-Sports Arena in Busanjin District, Busan, Sept. 5. Korea Times photo by Gim Hyung-jun

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.

9月5日，位于釜山西面市中心的釜山电子竞技场被改造成韩国国家电子竞技队的专属训练营，为2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会做准备。包括李相赫在内的《英雄联盟》战队成员在结束国内赛事后抵达釜山，并将于本周末与泰国和越南进行热身赛。韩国电子竞技协会（KeSPA）负责此次训练营的运营，并提供包括理疗和心理辅导在内的全方位支持。

韩国体操协会表示，釜山训练营于8月25日对外界关闭，此后一直作为国家队专属训练基地运营。

这个由 41 人组成的代表团包括 36 名运动员和 5 名教练。

亚运会电子竞技项目已扩展至 11 个奖牌项目，比杭州亚运会多出 4 个。

韩国在杭州亚运会电子竞技项目中获得两枚金牌、一枚银牌和一枚铜牌，位列中国之后，排名第二。

今年韩国将参加 11 项奖牌赛事中的 9 项，包括英雄联盟、格斗游戏、王者荣耀、PUBG Mobile、第五人格、GT赛车7、eFootball 系列赛和噗哟噗哟冠军赛。

发布于2026年9月16日凌晨12:05（韩国标准时间）

顶尖玩家在釜山专属训练营接受奥运级别的体能训练、睡眠监测和心理准备。

8月25日，在首尔西部的上岩立方会议中心举行的2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会启动仪式上，韩国国家电子竞技队队员聆听国歌。从左至右依次为：金建宇（Zeka）、李相赫（Faker）和李敏亨（Gumayusi）。（韩联社）

釜山——9月5日，当位于西面中心的釜山电子竞技场电梯门打开时，一道黑色隔板挡住了视线。

虽然通常对公众开放，但那天这里不对外开放，被改造成国家电子竞技队的专属训练营。训练营的内墙上贴满了国家队的队徽和加油口号，整个设施宛如韩国顶级奥运训练基地——镇川国家训练中心。

参加2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会的韩国国家电子竞技队正在比赛场地进行最后的准备工作。包括李相赫（Faker）在内的《英雄联盟》（LoL）国家队队员将在结束国内赛季后加入釜山集训营。

韩国电子竞技协会（KeSPA）周一宣布，英雄联盟战队已于周日结束国内赛程，并直接前往釜山开始集训和训练赛。本周末，战队将与泰国和越南进行热身赛，为接下来的比赛做准备。

该队由前 KT Rolster 主教练姜东勋领衔，阵容包括三年前在杭州亚运会上获得金牌的李，以及崔“宙斯”宇济、柳“凯利亚”珉锡、金“泽卡”建宇、金“峡谷”建富和李“古马尤西”珉亨。

今年的亚运会扩大了电子竞技项目规模，共设11个奖牌项目，比杭州亚运会增加了4个，比赛将于9月下旬至10月初举行。在杭州亚运会上，电子竞技首次成为正式比赛项目，韩国队获得两枚金牌、一枚银牌和一枚铜牌，位列第二，仅次于获得四枚金牌和一枚铜牌的中国队。而这一次，中国队没有参加《英雄联盟》项目，这改变了韩国队的竞技格局。

其他项目的参赛选手上月底也加入了训练营。韩国体操协会（KeSPA）于8月25日暂时关闭了该场馆，并将其作为国家队专属训练基地运营。

这支由41人组成的代表团——36名运动员和5名教练——每天早上10点左右开始训练，一直练到深夜。有时训练会持续到午夜之后。

9月5日，釜山釜山镇区釜山电子竞技场入口处竖起黑色隔板，宣布暂时关闭。韩国时报记者金亨俊摄

物理治疗师、心理准备

这套后勤保障体系堪比镇川国家训练中心。三名专职理疗师负责监测球员的身体状况并协助他们进行康复。

韩国体能和运动协会（KeSPA）一位官员表示：“我们会检查每位球员的体能和健康状况，提供个性化的体能训练计划，同时持续监测他们的睡眠和恢复情况。我们还会进行心理评估、焦虑管理和心理准备。”

釜山电子竞技场内部 / 图片来自釜山电子竞技场官网

考虑到长时间久坐对身体的损害以及反复做出瞬间决策带来的精神疲劳，KeSPA 正在采取综合方法来关注球员的身体健康、睡眠和心理准备。

“这里的环境设施完善，让我们能够专注于训练。我们也得到了充足的支持，这有助于我们在保持良好状态的同时进行训练，”45岁的李光路（MaDKof）说道，他正在参加《拳皇15》的比赛。

8 月 25 日，在首尔西部的上岩立方会议中心举行的 2026 年爱知-名古屋亚运会启动仪式上，参加格斗游戏比赛的国家电子竞技队队员们鼓掌。从左至右分别是：铁拳 8 的裴“Knee”宰民、街头霸王 6 的延“DakCorgi”济吉和拳皇 XV 的李“MaDKof”光鲁。

对于参加这些比赛的运动员来说，国家队队服承载着强烈的责任感。

“作为国家队队员参加本次比赛，我将竭尽全力取得最好的成绩，”23岁的韩“Namu3”成建说道，他正在参加“王者荣耀”比赛。

韩国将参加 11 个奖牌项目中的 9 个：英雄联盟、格斗游戏（如街头霸王 6、铁拳 8、拳皇 XV 和宝可梦大集结）、王者荣耀、PUBG Mobile（亚运会版）、第五人格（亚运会版）、GT赛车 7、eFootball 系列和噗哟噗哟冠军赛。

9月5日，釜山釜山镇区的釜山电子竞技场张贴了限制公众入场的告示。（韩国时报 金亨俊摄）

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。