Former World Champ off Korean national team

2014 World Champion Shin Baek Cheol is now off the Korean national badminton team.  The 26-year-old shuttler, who narrowly missed qualifying for the Rio Olympics in both men’s and mixed doubles, did not participate in national team tryouts in late May.  The tryouts were sandwiched in between the Thomas Cup Finals and the Indonesia Open, both of which Shin had been entered in before the Olympic qualification period ended, and were mandatory for all players who had not qualified for the Olympics.

The announcement of the new national team came from the BKA just a few days after Shin left with Korea’s 14 Olympians to participate in the Indonesia Open Superseries Premier.  After his second round win in Jakarta, where he eventually lost to #1 Lee Yong Dae / Yoo Yeon Seong, Shin said that he might be taking some time off.  He was not definite about when he would return but indicated his wish to fight to play in the 2020 Olympics.

Shin Baek Cheol and Ko Sung Hyun (pictured right) did finish in the top 8 in the world in men’s doubles; however, just a few days after the qualification rankings were released on May 5th, the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) announced that it would indeed be selecting the world #4 Kim Ki Jung / Kim Sa Rang to accompany Lee/Yoo to Rio.  BWF rules limit one country to sending only two pairs for an Olympic doubles competition.

In an interview given in early June to Korean daily The Kyunghyang Shinmun, Ko Sung Hyun said that he and Shin did not intend to quit playing after the Olympics and that they expect to get the opportunity to compete again.  Shin is still on the roster for the Gimcheon City Hall team, where he is team-mates for domestic events with Ko Sung Hyun and also with Jang Ye Na, Son Wan Ho, and Lee Hyo Jung, with whom he won Asian Games gold back in 2010.