The South Korean wheelchair curling teams in both mixed doubles and mixed team events suffered close defeats in the qualifiers for the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The South Korean wheelchair curling mixed doubles team, consisting of Baek Hye-jin and Lee Yong-seok, lost in a tightly contested match against Latvia, finishing with a score of 4-5 in the sixth round of the round-robin qualifiers held in Cortina, Italy. This defeat comes despite South Korea maintaining a competitive edge during the match, leading 4-3 going into the final end but ultimately faltering under pressure. With a record of three wins and three losses, South Korea now finds itself in a tight race for a semi-final spot alongside England, Japan, Latvia, and the U.S.
In the mixed team event, South Korea faced China, a team recognized for its superior skills, and ended up losing 5-7. Following a victory against Latvia in their opening match, the mixed team subsequently fell to Sweden and China. With only one win and two losses thus far, South Korea is currently tied for fifth place with England, Latvia, and the U.S., and to achieve a berth in the semi-finals, they will need to secure victories in their remaining matches.
As they prepare for their final qualification matches, the South Korean teams are in urgent need of victories to advance. The mixed doubles team is set to face Estonia, and the mixed team will compete against Britain, both crucial for maintaining their hopes of advancing to the next stages of the competition. The results of these matches will greatly influence the future of South Korea's participation in the Paralympics.
