Badminton News: Legendary Indonesian coach Agus Dwi Santoso will be the sole coach of the Indian national team after the departure of South Korea's Kim Ji Hyun, who suddenly resigned in September 2019.

The Indonesian coach will help Indian singles players from next month as they prepare for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) wrote to Indonesian authorities on Friday (28/2) to grant Santoso a visa as soon as possible after the Sports Ministry finalized his appointment on Wednesday (26/2).

“I am requested to refer to the letter from the SAI, to give my approval to the appointment of Mr. Agus Dwi Santoso as a foreign (single) badminton coach with a salary of 8,000 USD, approximately 112 million rupees per month for the period up to the 2020 Olympics,” the Sports Ministry wrote in a letter to the SAI.

Meanwhile, Badminton Federation of India (BAI) secretary Ajay Singhania said the visa process has started and Santoso is likely to join the Indian team by the middle of next month.

“SAI has written to Indonesian authorities to grant him a visa for his work as a foreign badminton coach. He will therefore obtain his work visa and will be able to start the second week of March. “It looks like he won't be able to make the All England squad,” Singhania said.

“He is a very good coach and we hope to extend his contract till the 2024 Olympics. If his performance is satisfactory, we will approach SAI again,” he added.

Article Tag: Agus Dwi Santoso, PV Sindhu, Tokyo 2020 Olympics