Source: REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo
[Saba Sports News] Malaysian media “China Press” reported that after legendary South Korean doubles player Park Joo Bong announced he would not renew his contract with the Japan Badminton Association, Malaysia’s national badminton coaching team announced a restructuring, sparking speculation about Park returning to Malaysia to coach. Now 59 years old, Park Joo Bong has coached the Japan national team since after the 2004 Athens Olympics, cultivating Japan into one of the strong nations in badminton over 20 years, demonstrating his coaching prowess. If Malaysia could hire Park Joo Bong as their national team coach, his experience from coaching in Japan could potentially advance Malaysian badminton. However, it seems that Malaysia’s national badminton team is a “black hole for foreign coaches,” often bringing in excellent coaches but then failing to retain them; these talented coaches eventually become assets for others, with Park Joo Bong being one example. He began coaching Malaysia’s national team in 2000 and left in 2003. If the Malaysian Badminton Association had given Park Joo Bong 20 years back then, perhaps Malaysia’s national team would have won an Olympic gold medal by 2020. To some extent, there are indeed issues within the Malaysian Badminton Association that prevent foreign coaches from coaching long-term. For example, one of the four kings of badminton, Morten Frost, coached Malaysia twice—from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2015 to 2018—but both stints ended after three years. Additionally, Rexy Mainaky, the Atlanta Olympic doubles champion, also coached Malaysia from 2000 to 2003 and left after three years. Now, Park Joo Bong may return for a second stint; Malaysia should be eager for his talent. As long as the compensation and related conditions are satisfactory to him, it would not be difficult for Park Joo Bong to become Malaysia’s head coach again.