Two foreign coaches of the men’s and women’s volleyball teams say, “Generation change is key… We will seek out past glory.”

Two foreign coaches in their 40s who were appointed as head coaches of the Korean volleyball team made a bid to revive Korean volleyball. Men’s national team coach Isanaye Ramirez (40) from Brazil and women’s national team coach Fernando Morales (42) from Puerto Rico said at a press conference held at the Olympic Parktel in Seoul on the 25th, “We have succeeded in changing generations, so Korean volleyball can perform well on the international stage. “I will make it happen,” he pledged.

Korean volleyball has recently been in a serious slump on the international stage. The men’s national team performed poorly not only on the world stage but also on the Asian stage, such as being eliminated early after losing to Pakistan at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, and the women’s national team also suffered the humiliation of losing all of their games in the VNL (Volleyball Nations League) for two consecutive years. Neither men nor women made it to the finals of the Paris Olympics held this summer. The Korea Volleyball Association appointed two foreign coaches to overcome the slump and restore competitiveness on the world stage.

Coach Ramirez, who leads the men’s national team, is the one who led Pakistan to the humiliation of elimination against Korea at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He said, “As Pakistan coach, I have faced Korea twice in last year’s Asian Championship and Asian Games, so I know both their weaknesses and strengths well.” He added, “Korea does not use middle blockers and pipe attacks much, and in high ball situations, had a hard time “My strength is that I have a strong serve,” he said. He said, “We need to raise the level of middle blockers,” and “We need to develop young players so that they can perform on the world stage.”

In addition to players currently playing in the Korean V-League, Coach Ramirez selected Lee Woo-jin (19, Vero Bali Monza), who plays in Italy, and Choi Jun-hyuk (20) of Inha University for the first time to the national team. Coach Ramirez said, “I selected him because of his future potential,” and added, “Choi Jun-hyuk is a 203cm tall middle blocker with good footwork, and although Lee Woo-jin was not in the official squad, I heard that his level of training is high. “I wanted to see it in person,” he said. He said, “It is the adult national team coach’s job to keep a close eye on young players. “If we call up young players to the national team quickly, the transition between generations will go smoothly,” he said. “I want to create opportunities for young players to play a role in the adult national team.”

Morales, head coach of the women’s national team, had experience leading the Puerto Rican national team to 16th place in the world rankings. He said, “Korea has won an Olympic medal and advanced to the semifinals twice. “I want to return it to its former glory,” he said. “I will raise my world ranking.” Coach Morales emphasized ‘team spirit’. He said, “It is difficult to find a player who scores 40 points alone in an international competition. “Scores must be evenly distributed,” he said. “It must be played as a team sport.”

Director Morales also took on the task of changing generations. He said, “It is a known fact that the Korean national team fell into a recession after the golden generation, including Kim Yeon-kyung, left,” and added, “With the change of generations comes a transitional period. He went through a transition period the past two seasons, and this time, his third season, he is ready to make it happen in earnest. “We will fill the star gap with our team,” he said. He also said, “I am very interested in nurturing future talent,” and added, “I want to work for the age-specific national team, and I am also planning friendly matches with young players. “Only then will it benefit Korean volleyball,” he said.

The men’s national team will be convened on the 1st of next month, undergo strengthening training, and then participate in the 2024 AVC (Asian Volleyball Confederation) Challenge Cup to be held in Bahrain from June 2nd to 9th, while the women’s national team, which was already convened on the 15th and is training, will next month. From the 14th to mid-June, they will participate in VNL games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Texas, USA, and Fukuoka, Japan.