India are all set to commence their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign on July 25. IOA has cleared 68 coaches and 50 support staff for 117 Indian athletes who are set to participate. The 256-member Indian contingent has several personal coaches and support staff in many disciplines like wrestling, table tennis and badminton. Backed by resources and a solid preparation, India are hopeful for a good outing in Paris. But ahead of that they have already faced a major setback. Renowned South Korean coach Baek Woong Ki, who is the head coach of the Indian Archery team, has not been provided an accreditation and has been asked to return to India from Paris.  Paris Olympics 2024: India Squad Stacked With 140 Support Staff; But Its Not Luxury, Its Preparedness.

According to a report from Hindustan Times, upset at not being given accreditation to be part of the Indian archery team for the Paris Olympics, Baek Woong Ki said he felt “humiliated and insulted” and wanted to end his tenure as head coach of the Indian team.  The Korean coach said he should have been the first coach on board with the team. “We have been training hard to win a medal but at a very important stage (Olympics), I am not appointed coach,” he said.

AAI had sent a list of six coaching staff led by Woong Ki to be part of the Indian contingent. The squad of six archers, cleared by IOA and the union sports ministry, 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 two Indian coaches have been given accreditation to stay in the Games Village while the two-support staff will get ‘P category’ cards and stay in the hotel.

As Hindustan Times reported, Woong Ki, who reached Paris with the Indian team after overseeing preparation in Marseille, is staying in a Paris hotel awaiting his Games accreditation while the Archery Association of India (AAI) has been asking the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to find a way to accommodate him in the contingent. An AAI official said they have reached out to IOA officials, but no solution has been found.

“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,” he said. Paris Olympics 2024: 24 Indian Armed Forces Personnel at Summer Olympic Games with Maiden Participation of Female Service Athletes.

“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,” said Woong Ki. His contract with the Indian team expires after the Paris Olympics on August 30. “I do not want to continue anymore. I just want to go back to South Korea', Woong Ki made his intentions clear.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 20, 2024 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).