Both Korean volleyball coaches axed after disastrous Asian Games

The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) on Sunday fired the head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams after both failed to medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Former Korean men's volleyball national team head coach Im Do-heon reacts during a Hangzhou Asian Games game against Pakistan at Shaoxing China Textile City Sports Centre Stadium in Shaoxing, China on Sept. 22. [NEWS1]

The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) on Sunday fired the head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams after both failed to medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The men’s team led by Im Do-hun finished the Asiad — which ran from Sept. 23 through Oct. 8 — in seventh out of 19 teams and failed to medal in the tournament for the first time in 61 years.

The KOVO said in a statement released Sunday that Im’s contract expired following the end of the Asian Games, indicating that it will not seek a contract extension.

Im first took the helm of the national team in 2019, but his efforts during his four-year spell did not pay off on the international stage.

His side failed to reach the semifinals at the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship in August and also lost to much lower-ranked countries like No. 51 Pakistan and No. 73 India at the Asiad.

The men’s team is ranked at No. 28 on the FIVB rankings.

The women’s team led by Cesar Hernandez finished the Asiad in fifth place out of 13 teams and failed to medal for the first time since 2006.

Former Korean women's volleyball national team head coach Cesar Hernandez speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Sept. 14. [NEWS1]

KOVO said it will terminate Hernandez’s contract through mutual agreement, as the team is now highly unlikely to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Before the Asiad began, his side competed in the Paris Olympic qualifiers and lost all seven games to the likes of Italy and United States, losing a chance to book a direct ticket to the Olympics.

That is not the only humiliating result that Hernandez faced during his spell. Since taking charge of the team last year, he lost all 12 2022 Volley Nations League games, and then repeated the same result in the annual competition this year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]