Haesan at the Olympics
The Commonwealth of Haesan first participated in the Olympics at Hanshui '23.
2023 Hanshui Olympics
241 Haesanite athletes competed in Hanshui, in all 113 events across 25 disciplines. Haesan's flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony on May 22nd were Jang Su-mi (women's archery & team archery) and Jacques Tessier (men's curling & mixed doubles curling). Their highest medal earners were TBD and TBD, given the honor of being flagbearer for the closing ceremony on June 8th.
Boycott Threat
After the announcement on March 23, 2023 that Hanshui would be the host of the 2023 IDU Olympiad, the van Deventer government threatened a boycott of the Olympic Games. While Laeral and Haesan have maintained a historical rivalry dating back centuries, tensions have been especially high since the 1963 annexation of Soeyan Province by Laeralite forces during the Great War. As such, the Chamber of Deputies threatened to withhold funding from the Olympic team and boycott the Hanshui games unless concessions were made regarding the return of the province into Haesanite custody. Despite the expected boycott, throughout the month of April, Olympic trials were held for Haesan's allotted spots in Munseong, Namhae and Altina, Southern Maritimes, with trials for winter events being held in Sanri, Maehwa and surrounding resort cities. On April 20th, ahead of a key budget vote, the Liberty! led government dissolved, and a caretaker Chamber of the Commonwealth government was established.[1] As a result, President Kim I-seul became de facto head of government, and as a proponent of Plum Blossom Diplomacy who seeks to ameliorate Haesan-Laeral relations, over the following days she entered into a dialogue with the Laeralian government about Haesan's participation in the games. On May 1st, Haesan officially accepted the Olympic Committee's invitation to compete in the 2023 Olympiad.[2] Despite small protests across the western portions of the country, the move was widely applauded.
Expectations
Haesan had registered one of the largest team rosters to compete in Hanshui, with many teams expected to be particularly strong, especially in the national sports of archery and curling, as well as in table tennis, sailing, and baseball. Domestic media largely focused on the geopolitical implications of the games, as well as the possibility of possible Haesan-Laeral bilateral talks emerging as a result of the games. Suyang based media company Hesperida Sports Network predicted Haesan to win the overall medal count, albeit losing the gold medal tally and points race, coming as a shock to many sports commentators.[3] Exemplifying this is the comments of Alexandra Yoo of SBS Sports' morning show "Today's Sports Briefing" who stated that "This projection was beyond our wildest expectations. While of course I hope we will perform to this standard, a handful of golds is all we really can hope for." The projection turbocharged interest in the Olympics, with searches for "Haesan Olympics" on search engine Chatgi increasing over ten-fold from the day prior.
2023 Hanshui Olympics Medalists
| Medal | Athlete | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
 Gold |
Jang Su-mi | Everything | May 22 |
 Silver |
Jang Su-mi | Everything | May 22 |
 Bronze |
Jang Su-mi | Everything | May 22 |
List of Competitors
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Skiing & Ski Jump | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Archery | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Athletics | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Baseball & Softball | 24 | 15 | 39 |
| Basketball | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Biathlon | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bobsleigh | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Curling | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Cycling | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Diving | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Equestrian | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Fencing | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Figure Skating | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Gymnastics | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Handball | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| Ice Hockey | 25 | 23 | 48 |
| Luge | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Sailing | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Speed Skating | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Surfing | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Swimming | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Table Tennis | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Tennis | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Triathlon | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Water Polo | 12 | 12 | 24 |
| Total | 127 | 114 | 241 |