The 67-year-old coach, who has led the South Korean and US teams to multiple Olympic medals, is in talks with the Indian federation to take charge of the Indian team
Navneet Singh
Renowned South Korean archery coach Kisik Lee is the frontrunner to take over as head coach of the Indian recurve archery team, a senior official of the Archery Association of India (AAI) told Sportsbackstory.com.
The AAI is actively engaged in finalising the modalities to bring Lee on board at the earliest.
“The national governing body is in the process of discussion with the South Korean coach (Kisik Lee) to join the Indian team as coach,” the AAI official said. “We are hopeful that Lee will agree to take up the role as soon as possible.”
Lee, it is learnt, has requested a monthly salary of $20,000 (approximately ₹17 lakh). Discussions are still at a preliminary stage, and once Lee agrees to the terms and conditions, his name will be recommended to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for consideration.
A former head coach of the South Korean Olympic archery team, Lee brings with him vast experience. He played a key role in guiding South Korean archers to Olympic glory from the 1984 Los Angeles Games through to the 1996 Atlanta Games. He also mentored Australian archer Simon Fairweather to an individual gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Lee went on to lead the US Olympic archery training program for 18 years, during which he guided American archers to numerous accolades, including multiple Olympic medals. Under his tenure, the US archers have amassed over 300 World Cup medals. His stint as head coach of the US team concluded at the end of 2024. At the Paris Olympics, the US secured two medals — a men’s individual silver by Brady Ellison, who also won a mixed team bronze with Casey Kaufhold. Lee played a pivotal role in shaping Ellison into one of the world’s top archers. Ellison has since won five Olympic medals and multiple World Championship titles, establishing himself among the sport’s elite.
“He (Lee) is currently the best coach in the world, and it will be a huge boost if he takes over as coach of the Indian team,” a senior Indian archery coach said.
India’s previous foreign archery coach, Baek Woong Ki from South Korea quit following a controversy over accreditation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite leading Indian archers to several achievements, Baek felt humiliated after being denied accreditation for the Games. He had overseen the pre-Olympic training camp in France, only to be asked to return to India. He later criticised the AAI and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the treatment meted out and chose not to extend his contract.
Following his departure, the AAI stated it was seeking a foreign coach, though progress stalled. However, with the 2026 Asian Games just a year away, the AAI has renewed its efforts to appoint an international coach who can help India make a meaningful impact at the continental event.
