The main contingent of the national Summer Olympics team on the afternoon of July 20 arrives at Terminal 2 of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in the French capital. (Yonhap News)

By Gil Kyuyoung

The main contingent of the national team for the Paris Summer Olympics has arrived in the French capital.

Forty-eight members on the afternoon of July 20 arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport: 18 executive board members from the headquarters of the Korea Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), 20 fencers and 10 table tennis players.

Artistic swimmers will arrive on July 22, race walkers on July 24, and diving, taekwondo and equestrian competitors on July 25.

The national team comprises 260 members in 21 sports -- 143 athletes, 90 KSOC executive board members and 26 headquarters officials -- on July 26 will officially begin Korea's Olympic schedule at the opening ceremony around the Seine River in Paris.

The squad seeks to win at least five gold medals and rank within the overall top 15. The country has high hopes in its traditionally strong events of archery, fencing, taekwondo, swimming and badminton.

"I feel nervous after arriving in Paris," KSOC President Lee Kee Heung said. "We'll do our best so that we can get results better than our initial goals."

gilkyuyoung@korea.kr