South Korean Archery Coach Baek Woong Ki Humiliated by Olympic Exclusion

Renowned South Korean archery coach Baek Woong Ki has expressed his disappointment and frustration after being denied accreditation for the Paris Olympics. The coach, who has guided the Indian archery team for over a year, feels "humiliated and insulted" by the decision.

Woong Ki, who played a pivotal role in shaping the Indian team, was not included in the list of six coaching staff submitted by the Archery Association of India (AAI) to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Instead, two Indian coaches, Sonam T Shering Bhutia and Purnima Mahato, were given accreditation to stay in the Games Village.

The Korean coach, who guided South Korea to two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, believes that his exclusion from the Olympic Games archery coach is a "big mistake" by the IOA. He has expressed his desire to end his tenure as head coach of the Indian team after the Paris Olympics.

"I do not want to continue anymore. I just want to go back to South Korea," Woong Ki told HT from Paris. "I have been preparing with the goal of helping India win a medal for the first time at the Paris Olympics. However, I believe that appointing a foreign coach but excluding (me) from the Olympic Games archery coach is a big mistake by the IOA and a decision that does not follow the original plan and goals."

Woong Ki's absence is a significant blow to the Indian archery team, which has qualified for all five events at the Olympics. The team has been training hard under Woong Ki's guidance and has shown promising results, including winning silver medals in the men's and women's team events at the Asian Games.

The AAI has reached out to IOA officials to find a solution, but no resolution has been found. The IOA has cleared 68 coaches and 50 support staff for 117 athletes, but the large contingent has made it difficult to accommodate all the coaches and support staff.

The Indian archery team will begin its Olympic campaign on July 2 with the ranking rounds for all five events. The team will be hoping to make history and win India's first-ever archery medal at the Olympics.

Tags: #Archery, #ParisOlympics, #IndianArchery, #BaekWoongKi, #IOA