DISBANDING OF WATER POLO TEAM

[Anchor Lead]

At the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, the South Korean women's water polo team inspired many people just by its presence at the meet. But the squad is scheduled to disband simultaneously with the closing of the competition. Here's why we will never be able to see the inspirational group of swimmers again.

[Pkg]

​64 to zero, 30 to one, 22 to two, 26 to three. The six goals scored by the South Korean women's water polo team that finished last were more precious than a gold medal. The Korean women's water polo team was hurriedly put together two months ago with 13 swimmers, including middle and high school students. They were originally swimmers, but now they hope to become water polo players in the wake of the recent FINA World Championships.

[Soundbite] LEE GA-EUN(KOREAN WOMEN'S WATER POLO TEAM) : "We believe that if a women's water polo team is formed again, we can achieve better results than we did at the 2019 FINA World Championships."

But the team will be disbanded two days later. There used to be a men's water polo team in Korea. The women's water polo squad was a temporary one that was formed because an automatic entry ticket was given to the host nation. The Korea Swimming Federation says it is hard to retain the team for the future. The biggest obstacle to the team's survival is its operating cost. The daily rental fee for Jincheon Swimming Pool, the only water polo practice pool in Korea, is a staggering 1.5 million won. Also, given the current standing, the team cannot enter international competitions, which makes the team ineligible for the Korean Sports and Olympic Committee support. The Committee sponsors only members of the national teams.

[Soundbite] JEONG CHANG-HOON(KOREA SWIMMING FEDERATION) : "This competition was their first and last. Women's water polo event started in the Olympic Games in 2000. There are women's water polo events at the Olympics and the Asian Games, but Korea doesn't have a team. It's ironic."

But, since the recent FINA World Championships boosted public interest in the women's water polo team, this may be the opportunity to officially form a team and promote the sport.