 "Paris Olympics 2024: India's archery coach 'humiliated and insulted' for being denied accreditation")
Renowned archery coach Baek Woong Ki has lashed out at the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for their “poor and hasty administration” after being denied accreditation for the Paris Olympics. The South Korean coach said he would not be continuing in his role after the ‘humiliation and insult’.
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Woong Ki, who reached Paris alongside the Indian team after overseeing their preparation in Marseille, said he “was removed from the Olympic coaching role at a critical time” and will now be returning to India with his return ticket already booked for Saturday evening.
“I am a Korean coach who signed a contract to prepare (the Indian archers) for the Paris Olympics. But at a critical time, I was removed from the Olympic coaching role and my flight schedule told me to return home,” the coach said to news agency PTI.
Read | Road to Paris, Archery: Qualified athletes, medal chances
He had been checked into a Paris hotel while awaiting his Games accreditation
“I have a contract until August 30th and I signed it for the purpose of the Olympics. I plan to arrive at Sonipat and calmly prepare for the formalities of entering Korea,” he added, making it clear that he will not renew his contract.
Woong Ki, who steered South Korea to two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, questioned the logic behind investing on him if he is not to be accommodated with the Indian team .
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More Shorts“I have been training them (Indian archers) for two years to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. However, foreign coaches were excluded due to the IOA’s poor and hasty administration.
“Then I don’t know why they invested money to appoint a Korean coach. More importantly, it’s hitting a major notch just days before the Olympics. I can’t stay near the Olympic practice or competition venues,” said Woong Ki.
Woong told Archery Association of India (AAI) officials that it was “humiliating and insulting” to be treated this way.
“Paris Olympics is India’s best chance to win a medal in archery. It is very unfortunate that I cannot be with the team right now. I can only send messages to the team and I have told them what they should be doing during the tournament. I hope the Indian archers win a medal at the Olympics,” he told Hindustan Times.
“While preparing for the Olympics, I instilled in my archers the practice of avoiding and dealing with situations that may arise during competition. I have experience in the Olympics, having won four gold medals and one silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics,” he told PTI.
AAI had reportedly sent a list of six coaching staff, including Woong Ki, to be part of the Indian archery contingent. The squad of six archers, however, accommodated two Indian coaches Sonam T Shering Bhutia (for men) and Purnima Mahato (for women), physio Arvind Yadav and psychologist Gayatri Aditya Madkekar. The coaches have been given accreditation to stay in the Games Village while the support staff will get ‘P category’ cards and stay in the hotel.
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