India at Paris Olympics: Archery Federation Unhappy With Korean Coach's Media Outburst; Plans To Begin Hunt for Three New Foreign Coaches

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India's South Korean recurve archery coach Baek Woong Ki is unlikely to receive an extension to his contract which ends in August after the Olympics. The Archery Association of India has already begun formulating plans for the next Olympic cycle which involves hiring as many as three foreign coaches.

The plan will be set in motion after the Paris Olympics with AAI eyeing coaches with at least five years of experience at the International level. The most experienced and suitable candidate will be given the remit of coaching the senior team while the other two will be kept on as junior coaches.

"Multiple foreign national coaches for India's archers is something that has not been tried before but we are confident of getting results this way. This process will help all the age groups to improve instead of focusing on only the seniors," a senior official confirmed to Mykhel.

Usually, appointments are made keeping in mind the Olympic cycle but for the junior foreign coaches, they will be kept on for more than four years subject to annual performance review. The plan is to prepare the next batch of upcoming youngsters who will be ready to win medals on the biggest stage in 2036.

AAI had started the procedure earlier this year but they were not satisfied with the number of candidates who applied and hence plan to conduct a more rigorous search after Paris with the help of World Archery. Verbal approval has already come from the Sports Ministry and further discussions are planned after the upcoming Games.

Baek Woong Ki update

Woong Ki has been in the headlines recently after he was denied accreditation for the Paris Olympic Games. The Archery Association of India tried its level best to try and accommodate the experienced coach but IOA could not fit him in and a livid Woong Ki had to return to India.

"I have been training Indian archers for two years to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. I don't know why they invested money to appoint a Korean coach," said Woong Ki.

Incidentally, the best IOA could manage was putting him up near the venue while offering a Games Village pass, just like the support staff. But that would have enraged the coach further especially as the Indian coaches would have Field of Play access unlike him. Hence, it was decided to bring him back to the country.

He was part of the training and acclimatisation camp in Compiègne but when it came to the actual games, two Indian coaches -- Sonam T Shering Bhutia (for men) and Purnima Mahato (for women) were given the necessary clearance.

The South Korean was livid upon hearing the news and criticised AAI as well as IOA and the archery body is likely to make their displeasure known regarding his outburst. No strict action will be taken as the coach will not be kept on after his tenure ends in July after the Olympics but he will be spoken to.

"He knows we tried our best but it was IOA's call in the end. We have supported him during his time in India and despite unfavourable reviews at the start of his tenure, we stuck by him and it would have been better if such statements blaming the federation were not given to the media," a senior AAI official explained.

As reported by this outlet earlier, post-the Asian Games last year, there were calls to remove him altogether but instead of breaking the rhythm, the federation thought it best to continue with the coach and there were encouraging results, especially in the World Cup Stage I in Shanghai. Unfortunately, things ended on a bitter note but the archers who are in Paris are said to be happy with the current arrangement.

He was South Korean women's team to gold at the London 2012 Olympics. He was part of the Sports Authority of India's Sonepat centre before being given the role of India's national coach till the Paris Olympics.