*This content was translated by AI.
Cha Sang-hyun (52), the current SBS sports commentator, will return to the scene for the first time in two years. She is the head coach of the Korean women's national volleyball team.
The Korea Volleyball Association officially announced on the 14th, "We held a board meeting on the afternoon of the 14th and selected coach Cha Sang-hyun and coach Lee Sook-ja (46) as leaders to lead the women's national volleyball team in 2026."
Coach Cha Sang-hyun and coach Lee Sook-ja were recommended as final candidates after receiving high scores in the interview evaluation of the Korea Volleyball Association's Women's Performance Improvement Committee conducted on the 5th. The final selection was made by the board of directors after deliberation by the Korean Volleyball Association's national team coach selection personnel committee. The terms of the two leaders are from the date of approval of the selection of the Korean Sports Council to the end of the 2028 national team season. After the end of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in 2026, the performance improvement committee will re-evaluate the results and leadership.
Cha Sang-hyun's return to the court is the most noticeable. Cha is the head coach who proved his excellent leadership by leading GS Caltex from 2016 to 2024. In the 2020-2021 season, he also led the first treble (KOVO Cup, regular league, championship game) in the V League women's division. The Korea Volleyball Association said, "Coach Cha also has a career as a national men's volleyball coach from 2007 to 2009, so he has a high understanding of the operation of the national team. Coach Cha, who has a long coaching experience, leadership, charisma and mission, is considered the right person to lead the women's national team to a new leap forward," he explained.
Coach Lee Sook-ja is a former KBSN sports commentator who is a leading player in the women's volleyball semifinals at the 2012 London Olympics and one of the best setters in Korea. From 2022 to 2024, he worked as a coach in the articles of association and built his ability as a leader. The Korea Volleyball Association said, "As a coach from the setter, I can not only provide position-specific guidance to the national setter players, but I am also expected to serve as a bridge between the coach and the player as a coach from the national team."
The two leaders are expected to begin their official terms after the approval process of the Korean Sports Council in the future. When the term begins, coach Cha and coach Lee Sook-ja will start preparing for the 2026 national team schedule. Major international competitions are scheduled one after another, including the AVC Cup, East Asian Championship, Asian Championship, and Asian Games, so thorough preparations are needed.
The Korea Volleyball Association said, "Under the new leader system, we will do our best to achieve good results at the 2026 Asian Championship and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games," adding, "We expect that the expertise and experience of coach Cha Sang-hyun and coach Lee Sook-ja will greatly help the women's national team improve its performance."
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*This content was translated by AI.
