Guro-gu Workplace Sports Club Women's Badminton Team Plans to Launch in October
Guro-gu (Mayor Moon Heon-il) is preparing to establish a new women's badminton team in addition to the existing men's wrestling team.
As the inaugural head coach, they appointed Kang Kyung-jin, a living legend who has made a mark in the badminton world and former national team coach, as the first head coach of the women's badminton team.
On September 30, at the Renaissance Hall of the district office, an appointment ceremony was held for Coach Kang Kyung-jin, attended by about 10 people including Moon Heon-il, Mayor of Guro-gu, Lee Je-seong, President of the Guro-gu Sports Council, and the Director of Administrative Management.
Kang Kyung-jin, one of the Korean badminton coaches who has expanded globally, was an active national team men's doubles player in the 1990s. After retiring as a player, he built his coaching career by serving as the men's doubles coach for the national team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, and 2016 Rio Olympics. He later served as the national team head coach (January 2017 to November 2018) and as the head coach of the Chinese badminton team (September 2019 to September 2024), continuing his activities until recently.
Coach Kang Kyung-jin expressed his ambitious aspirations, saying, “I will wholeheartedly pass on the practical experience and know-how I have accumulated to the players and strive to discover and nurture promising badminton talents.”
Moon Heon-il, Mayor of Guro-gu, said, “It is very reassuring that Coach Kang Kyung-jin, who has been active on the global stage, has become the first head of our district’s badminton team,” and added, “Following the increased public interest in badminton sparked by the 2024 Paris Olympics, we hope for much attention to the growth and development of the newly launched women's badminton team.”
Guro-gu has been considering the establishment of a women's badminton team since May and finalized the establishment in September after securing city funding from Seoul. The operation of the team in the professional sports field will be managed by the Guro-gu Sports Council.
To announce the full-scale launch of the badminton team that will write a new history in the 2025 season, procedures such as player recruitment are underway this month, and the inauguration ceremony is scheduled to be held in December.
A district official said, “Our district is the only autonomous district in Seoul to establish and operate a women's badminton team among workplace sports teams, and we expect to enhance the district’s image through tournament activities.”
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