Korean Coach Taken Away Then 'Dumped' Just Before Olympics... "Humiliating and Insulting" [Paris Olympics]

"Trained for 2 Years... Will Not Extend Contract"

Baek Woong-gi (63), the head coach leading the Indian national team, reportedly received a notification from the Archery Association of India (AA) after arriving in Paris, France, telling him "you are excluded from the coaching role, so pack your bags and return home."

On the 22nd (local time), Indian media such as The Indian Express reported that Coach Baek was informed of his return while waiting for the issuance of his AD (Accreditation) card in Paris. Players and coaches must have an AD card to enter the Olympic venues.

According to Coach Baek, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) informed him at the time that "there is no need for you to continue as the head coach of the archery team, and we did not request the issuance of your AD card."

On the afternoon of August 2, 2012 (local time), at the Rose Cricket Ground in London, England, during the final match of the women's individual archery event at the 2012 London Olympics, South Korea's Ki Bo-bae secured her victory alongside coach Baek Woong-gi, smiling brightly and cheering. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Coach Baek confronted the association, but it was to no avail, and he eventually returned to India on the 20th with a plane ticket in hand. He expressed, "I was excluded from the Olympic coaching role at a critical time," calling the situation "humiliating and insulting."

The background of this incident appears to be related to the distribution of AD cards. According to media reports, a total of four AD cards were issued to the Indian archery team, but since Coach Baek was listed as the fifth, he was not allowed to stay in Paris. Instead of Coach Baek, the archery association's secretary-general and a physical therapist close to him reportedly received the AD cards.

As the controversy grew, the archery association president explained, "The association prioritized the comfort of the athletes. The association did not intervene in this matter at all."

However, Coach Baek stated, "Even if the contract is extended after it expires on the 30th of next month, they still will not allow me to continue." He lamented, "I have trained with the Indian national team for two years to win a medal at the Paris Olympics. If this is the case, I don't understand why they spent money to appoint a Korean coach."

Coach Baek gained recognition domestically by serving as the women's team coach at the 2004 Athens Olympics and as the women's team head coach at the 2012 London Olympics, achieving four gold medals and one silver medal. Later, he accepted an offer to serve as the head coach of the Indian archery team participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics and was scheduled to serve as the head coach of the Indian national team until the end of August.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.