China has hired another foreign coach in its ongoing bid to ensure nothing is left to chance at next year's Beijing Olympics.
According to a statement from the sport's national administrative center, South Korean Kang Jae-won began working with the women's handball team earlier this month as head coach.
Kang, a handball star in 1980s and the world's best men's handballer in 1989, has extensive coaching experience in Europe and once led a Swiss club into the final of the European Cup.
He moved to Japan in 2005 and soon helped his team win the Japanese handball league last year.
Kang worked in Europe for more than 18 years and his experience could help the Chinese team improve and learn the best aspects of European handball, said the statement.
China's handball players are familiar with South Korean coaches - Kang is the fourth straight Korean coach hired by the national women's team since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Before him, Kim Gap-soo, Chung Hyung-kyun and Wui Yeong-man tried their luck with the team.
Among them, Wui was the most successful, leading the women's squad to fifth place in Atlanta. He then helped the men's side qualify for the World Championships in 1997 and still works with the men's squad.
Chung also created a positive impact by leading the team to victory over South Korea in the 2003 Asian Championships final to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Chung left after 2004 Games and he was replaced by Kim, his long-time working partner and former national teammate, but his tenure has been less successful.
Despite the mixed track records of the South Korean coaches, the sport's officials clearly see sufficient upside to picking a fourth over a Chinese candidate.
Currently, South Korean coaches are also working for China's national field hockey and taekwondo teams.
(China Daily May 25, 2007)