NEWS : Park Joo-bong to Coach Japanese Badminton Team

[kwun]

Park Joo-bong to Coach Japanese Badminton Team


By Kim Hyun-cheol - Korea Times


Former badminton superstar Park Joo-bong signed up with the Japanese Badminton Association to take over as the head coach of their national team.

Park, 40, returned to South Korea on Thursday from Japan after signing the contract with a possible annual salary of 120 million won ($100,000). This is his third job as a national team coach, since he coached the British team in 1999 and Malaysian from the same year to 2002.

Starting with a five-month contract, Park is expected to take the job to prepare the team for the 2006 Doha Asian Games. Park was working as a coach with the South Korean Olympic from March and helped the team win a gold, two silvers, and one bronze in Athens.

``I thought of staying here but somehow decided to challenge for a new career after long thought,’’ Park said. ``But I will be back with the Korean team someday for sure.’’

As a player, Park was known as the ‘king of the shuttlecock’ in the doubles events and claimed a total of 52 international titles throughout his career, including a men’s doubles gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and a silver in the mixed doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

He is best known as half of the invincible pairing in the men’s doubles with long-time partner Kim Moon-soo in the 1980s-1990s and in 2001 was enshrined in the International Badminton Federation Hall of Fame.

[seven]

Important news!
Will he be able to bring the japanese MD pairs to top class?

[flymordecai]

I wonder what language they'll communicate in. I would assume English, but maybe Park Joo Bong knows a bit of Japanese.

[Dill]

I wonder what language they'll communicate in. I would assume English, but maybe Park Joo Bong knows a bit of Japanese.

I'm sure he will have the use of a translator. Otherwise it was not good practice to employ someone to coach where there is room for ambiguity and misunderstanding!

[kwun]

The Star Online > Sports

Wednesday September 29, 2004

Joo-bong to coach Japanese team

PETALING JAYA: South Korean Park Joo-bong has been appointed as the chief coach of the Japanese national badminton team.

Japan have a target to win a medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 40-year-old Joo-bong, who has had a stint as coach of the Malaysian national team, begins work on Nov 1.

“It is a four-year contract but they will review it year by year,” said Joo-bong, who is currently in Malaysia.

“I have been given the authority to select the players and coaches. I will do the selection during the Japan's national championships in November.

“They want me to help them win a medal in the Beijing Olympics. It is a big challenge and I am looking forward to it.”

Joo-bong retired from competitive badminton in 1996 and his first foreign stint as coach was in England from 1997-1999.

He had a three-year stint in Malaysia from 1999.