Source: REUTERS/Arko Datta
[Saba Sports News] The Korean Badminton Association has decided not to renew the contract of the head coach of the 2024 Paris Olympic team, Kim Hak Kyun. It is reported that the association conducted a performance review of Kim Hak Kyun and four other coaches, determining that they failed to pass the renewal assessment. The association stated that it would provide a week for the coaches who could not renew their contracts to appeal, and indicated that the position of the head coach of the Korean badminton team would be filled through an open recruitment process. In response, Coach Kim Hak Kyun has protested and initiated an appeal process. Information shows that Kim Hak Kyun has been the head coach of the Korean badminton team since November 2022. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held last year, the Korean team achieved an excellent result of 2 golds, 2 silvers, and 3 bronzes. However, after the talented player An Se-young won the women’s singles championship at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she publicly criticized the management of the Korean Badminton Association, which put Coach Kim Hak Kyun in a trust crisis. In the Denmark Open badminton tournament in October this year, An Se-young showed dissatisfaction with Kim Hak Kyun. During a break in the match, the two did not communicate at all, and this scene was directly presented by television broadcasts, exposing the discord between the Korean team’s management and players, which embarrassed the Korean Badminton Association. Although Kim Hak Kyun clearly stated his hope to continue as the head coach of the badminton team at the Paris Olympic commendation ceremony organized by the Korean Badminton Association, the association ultimately decided not to renew his contract.