Source:REUTERS/Ann Wang
[Saba Sports News] The Japan Badminton Association held a briefing in Tokyo on October 1. It was announced that Park Joo Bong, who has coached the Japan national team since the 2008 Beijing Olympics for five consecutive Olympic cycles, will step down in December; starting in January next year, Jun Ohara will take over as the new national team coach. Notably, Jun Ohara is also the father of Japan’s top female player Ayako Ohori. Records show that Jun Ohara played for Tonami Transportation during his career and has been coaching at Tomioka High School in Fukushima Prefecture since 2006, leading the school to numerous national championships in both team and individual events, totaling 40 titles. Since 2017, he has served as a coach for the Tonami Transportation Club and has been the head coach of Japan’s youth national team since 2022. Major players he has coached include Kento Momota, Arisa Higashino, Yuta Watanabe, and his daughter Ayako Ohori.