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

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 und