In a dramatic development, the Archery Association of India (AAI) has gone back and reappointed South Korean Lim Chae Woong as one of the India coaches for the World Championship to be held in Leipzig, Germany, from July 7. The event also serves as qualifiers for next year's Olympics in Beijing.
In recent months, the Indian team has turned in below-par performances. The AAI says it is going back to Woong only because of the presence of archers from the Tata Academy in Jamshedpur.
Said AAI vice-president Paresh Nath Mukherjee: "There are three archers who practice at the Tata academy where Woong is the coach. And that is a sizeable number. So we have brought him in, but there are no plans to have him permanently."
It may be recalled, Woong was not there as a coach when the Indian team which went to Doha last December for the Asian Games. At that time, too, archers from the Tata academy were in the team.
Mun Baek, the Mittal Trust coach who accompanied the team to the Asian Games, has not been called for the camp.
Woong, who left Jamshedpur on Monday and is to join the Indian camp in Kolkata from Tuesday, had resigned last year from the post of the national team coach following differences with the association.
{{/usCountry}}Woong, who left Jamshedpur on Monday and is to join the Indian camp in Kolkata from Tuesday, had resigned last year from the post of the national team coach following differences with the association.
{{/usCountry}}Since then, India's performances have hit the trough despite Jayanta Talukdar winning the World Cup gold in Porec, Croatia.
At the Doha Asiad, the Indians could manage just one bronze in the women's team event. After that, it has been a miserable run at the World Cups.
Despite Mukherjee's criticism, Indian archers have favoured Korean coaches. Players like Dola Banerjee and Reena Kumari, who were struggling to find a proper coach after Woong left the national camp, have opted to practice with the Tatas.