A new head coach and five new coaches have been appointed by the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) to end the months of uncertainty, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
The BKA did not renew former head coach Ahn Jae Chang’s tenure earlier in September (after the original dates of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics). After his termination, the country’s badminton team had been having some issues with management and training.
But all these ended after the association appointed Kim Choong Hee, 54, as the new head coach. Besides Kim’s appointment, there are five new coaches who are coming into management.
They are:
- Jang Young Soo, 38, men’s singles.
- Kim Ji Hyun, 46, women’s singles.
- Kim Yong Hyun, 42, doubles.
- Bae Gi Dae, 43, doubles.
- Lee Kyung Won, 40, women’s doubles.
The new head coach Kim has an extensive experience as a coach. He was a coach in the national team from October 1996 to June 1997. He has also been a coach in local clubs since 1988. He was the coach at the Goyang City Hall prior to his appointment as the national head coach.
The new term of office of the newly appointed coaches is till 31 October 2022.
Kim Ji Hyun who was instrumental in P.V. Sindhu’s world championships gold medal win has returned to the national side. She left the Indian national team due to some personal issue and later became a coach at the AP Badminton club of Chinese Taipei.
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Her return to the national side will bring her immense knowledge both as a player and as a coach to young players like An Se Young.
The BKA is planning to host an internal tournament on the 18 of December to select the national team.