South Korea's main delegation for the Paris Olympics left for the French capital Saturday as it began the quest for a solid performance at the quadrennial competition. Forty athletes, along with 18 officials of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC), flew to Paris on the day as part of the country's delegation of 143 athletes from 21 sports and 117 officials. The delegation for the upcoming event was the smallest since the 1976 Montreal Olympics. "I am excited but at the same time worried (about the event) due to weather conditions and other environments in Paris," KSOC President Lee Kee-heung told reporters. "But I am sure that our athletes will be able to show their best performance and give pleasure to the people this summer thanks to great public support." The KSOC has said that the country set the target of winning five gold medals during the competition, which would put the country at around 15th place in the medal table. "It is impossible to make a prediction. But I expect better results ," Lee said. It would be South Korea's lowest gold medal tally since 1976, when the country finished with one gold medal. During the Tokyo Olympics, South Korea ranked 16th with six gold medals. Source: Yonhap News Agency