South Korean Archery Legend Park Chae-soon Set to Lead India's Recurve Revolution Ahead of LA 2028
The Archery Association of India (AAI) has taken a major step towards reshaping the country's recurve programme by shortlisting renowned South Korean coach Park Chae-soon as its next recurve head coach.
The decorated coach, widely regarded as one of the finest minds in world archery, is expected to take charge after the 2026 Asian Games, with the appointment aimed at building a long-term programme leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The move comes after negotiations with another South Korean coaching legend, Kisik Lee, failed due to financial differences earlier this year. With Park now emerging as the preferred candidate, India appears set to place its Olympic ambitions in the hands of one of the most accomplished coaches in the sport's history.
According to reports, Park recently held an extensive virtual meeting with senior officials of the Archery Association of India, during which both sides discussed the roadmap for Indian recurve archery. The discussions are understood to have progressed positively, with the federation now working towards completing the remaining formalities before finalising the appointment.
Rather than making an immediate change, AAI plans to bring Park into the programme after the Asian Games later this year. The federation believes the period after the continental event will provide sufficient time for the new coaching setup to settle before preparations begin in earnest for the Los Angeles Olympics. The proposed agreement is expected to run until the 2028 Olympics, although there are indications that both parties are open to extending the partnership through the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and even the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Few coaches in international archery possess a résumé comparable to Park Chae-soon. A former South Korean international archer himself, Park transitioned into coaching and became one of the key architects behind South Korea's sustained dominance in Olympic archery. He served as coach of the South Korean women's team that dominated the London 2012 Olympics, before taking charge of the men's team at the Rio 2016 Games.
Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, Park was promoted to overall head coach of the Korean national programme, overseeing one of the strongest teams in international archery. His ability to consistently produce Olympic champions has earned him worldwide recognition as one of the sport's elite coaches.
Among Park's most celebrated achievements is his role in developing Ki Bo-bae, widely regarded as one of the greatest recurve archers in Olympic history. Under Park's guidance, Ki captured both the individual and team gold medals at the London Olympics before adding another Olympic team title at Rio 2016.
His reputation extends beyond individual athletes.
As South Korea's national head coach, Park supervised one of the country's most dominant performances at the 2021 World Archery Championships in Yankton, where Korea completed a clean sweep of all five available gold medals.
The achievement further cemented his standing among the world's most successful archery coaches.
Park's success has not been limited to international competition. From 2003 to 2021, he served as head coach of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall, where he built one of South Korea's strongest domestic programmes. During his 18-year tenure, archers under his guidance accumulated an astonishing 573 medals, including 173 international medals and 400 domestic medals.
The consistency of those results reflects his ability not only to coach elite athletes but also to develop sustainable high-performance systems.
Following his departure from the Korean national setup, Park spent two years as the head coach of Vietnam's national archery team, further broadening his international coaching experience before being approached by India.
The appointment reflects India's determination to finally end its long wait for an Olympic medal in recurve archery. Despite producing world-class performances at World Cups, World Championships and Asian Games, India's recurve programme has yet to deliver an Olympic podium finish. The federation believes that bringing in a coach with proven Olympic credentials could provide the technical and psychological edge required to bridge that gap.
If appointed, Park will oversee both the senior and junior recurve programmes, ensuring a consistent development pathway from grassroots to elite competition.
His arrival would also mark the second attempt by the federation to recruit an elite foreign recurve coach following the departure of Baek Woong Ki after the Paris Olympics.
While discussions continue regarding the recurve programme, AAI has already secured its compound coaching setup. Former multiple-time world champion Dave Cousins of the United States has been appointed as India's chief compound coach through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Cousins recently conducted a high-altitude training camp in Shillaru, Himachal Pradesh, before joining the Indian squad for preparations ahead of the Archery World Cup Stage 4 in Madrid.
His appointment is particularly significant as compound archery will make its Olympic debut at LA 2028 through the mixed team event, giving India a genuine opportunity to compete for medals in a discipline where it has consistently excelled internationally.
The potential appointment of Park Chae-soon represents one of the most significant coaching decisions Indian archery has made in recent years. With Olympic success forming the central objective, the federation is investing in proven international expertise to guide the country's recurve programme through the next Olympic cycle.
Combined with Dave Cousins' arrival to lead the compound squad, India is assembling an experienced coaching team capable of preparing athletes across both disciplines for the challenges ahead.
As the Indian team departs for the Madrid World Cup and begins its final phase of preparation before the Asian Games, the prospect of Park Chae-soon joining later this year signals the beginning of what could be a transformative chapter for Indian recurve archery on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
Credit to Sportstar for the information
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