Yong Sung Yoo appointed PPBA foreign head coach

Two time Olympic medallist Yong Sung Yoo has been appointed as the foreign head coach of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) here.

Yoo’s appointment was finalised after a search conducted under a joint initiative by PPBA and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), with the goal of grooming promising players to achieve podium success at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Yoo’s distinction

South Korean Yoo, 47, won the men’s doubles silver medals in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics.

Yoo has previously coached national teams in South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. He was one of the first foreign coaches to train the Chinese national badminton team.

Prakash Padukone, co-founder of PPBA said, “I am delighted that PPBA will soon have the services of an experienced foreign coach, thanks to the active support of OGQ and Infosys Foundation.

“I am hopeful that with this new appointment, PPBA can provide added impetus to our efforts to groom more youngsters to win medals for the country, working in close cooperation with Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Badminton Association of India.”

MD & CEO of OGQ, Viren Rasquinha, said, “PPBA & OGQ have a very long relationship. I am confident that Yoo’s appointment will provide a massive boost to all the players at PPBA, and especially Lakshya Sen, who is targeting a medal at Paris 2024.”