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England: Park Joo Bong Set To Coach Malaysia

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Ontario (Canada) agents - SHAH Enterprises **

July 31, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Park Joo Bong of Korea, the 1992 Olympic badminton men's doubles gold medal winner and a holder of multiple world championship titles in the men's and mixed doubles events, will be leaving his current post as English national coach for a similiar job in Malaysia. The 34-year old Park this week signed a two-year contract with the Badminton Association of Malaysia and will be taking up his post this coming October.<= br>

Park will be working with Morten Frost, the former Danish singles great w= ho is Malaysia's national coaching director and who also has a big hand in the training of Malaysia's singles players. Park will be concentrating on coachi= ng the doubles players.

With Frost guiding the singles players and Park the doubles pairs and wit= h the 2000 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals scheduled to be held on its home turf, t= he Malaysian badminton association thinks it has increased its chances of capturing the world men's team championships (the Thomas Cup) next May. The Malaysian team were beaten in the final last year by Indonesia 3 matches to 2 with 2 of their defeats coming in the doubles contests.

The Malaysians also have heightened hopes of bettering their badminton me= dal haul at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia next September. In 1996 = in Atlanta, they garnered two medals - the men's doubles silver won by Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock and the men's singles bronze won by Rashid Sidek.<= br>

Park was with the England squad for two and a half years. He concentrated= on training the doubles players and his best accomplishments as England coach w= as the world championships mixed doubles silver medal and the 1999 All-England championship in the same event, both won by the team of Simon Archer and Joanne Goode.

Park and family were reportedly not entirely at ease with life in Milton Keynes where the English badminton association is based and where there is only a tiny Oriental community and an even tinier Korean presence.

Park signed with the Malaysian association for more than the 60,000 pounds a year salary that he was reported to have been receiving from the Badminton Association of England. He also received assurances that he would be able to continue to learn English and to study for his doctor of philosop= hy degree in sports management.

Park also was convinced to move because of the very substantial Korean community in Kuala Lumpur, which he said would be "good for my family."

(yyn/ds)