Source:Sipa USA/Sydney
[Saba Sports News] Recently, the head coach of the Japanese badminton team, Park Joo Bong, mentioned in an interview that it would be challenging for the Japanese badminton team to secure a medal at the Paris Olympics. In preparation for the upcoming Paris Olympics, the Japanese government has significantly reduced its budget for badminton projects and even canceled the badminton team’s training plan. This decision has brought the Japanese badminton team’s preparations to a standstill, almost reverting to the level of 20 years ago. Park Joo Bong expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that twenty years of hard work now seemed to be in vain. Park Joo Bong, the 1992 Olympic men’s doubles champion, took over the Japanese badminton team in 2004. He quickly established a new coaching team to support Japanese men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Specialized coaches were hired, and the number and duration of training sessions were significantly increased, enhancing the quality and intensity of training. He also reformed the club system, emphasizing the national team’s importance and requiring players to follow the national team’s arrangements during training. By the 2018 season, Park Joo Bong’s efforts had paid off, with Japanese players ranking among the top 10 in the world across the five individual badminton events, and the team winning 46 gold medals that year. Due to budget constraints, after the Paris Olympics, Japanese players’ participation in international competitions will mainly be organized by clubs at their own expense. The Japan Badminton Association will only cover fees for compulsory events such as Super 750 and Super 1000 tournaments.