[Official] Manager Ryu Ji-hyun Decides Qualification for the 2026 Asian Games National Baseball Team "The Best Person to Achieve the 金 Goal"

*This content was translated by AI.

Ryu Ji-hyun (55), who led South Korea to the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), is expected to take the helm at the 2026 Asian Games.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association (Chairman Yang Hae-young, hereinafter referred to as the association) announced on the 15th, "As a result of the open recruitment of baseball national team leaders to be dispatched to the 2026 international tournament of each age, former WBC national team coach Ryu Ji-hyun (former LG Twins coach) has been selected as a qualified coach of the national baseball team at the 2026 Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games."

The association explained, "We received applicants from January 19 to March 30 through an open recruitment of national baseball leaders for each age, including the Asian Games," adding, "We held a meeting of the performance improvement committee on the 10th to conduct an interview evaluation of members of the performance improvement committee."

"In this interview evaluation, coach Ryu Ji-hyun received positive reviews from the committee in overall key evaluation indicators, including the specificity of the national team's operation plan, the ability to analyze the game, and leadership that encompasses the team," he stressed.

"As a result of a close review of the interview, the association's performance improvement committee decided that Ryu Ji-hyun was the best candidate to achieve the Asian Games gold medal goal and decided to be "qualified," he continued. "As a result, the association plans to vote on the appointment plan through the board of directors to be held in the future and finally officially confirm Ryu Ji-hyun as the head coach of the national baseball team at the Asian Games after the approval of the Korean Sports Council's national leader."

If the appointment of the head coach is confirmed, coach Ryu Ji-hyun will lead the national team at the 2026 Aichi and Nagoya Asian Games in Japan from September 21 to September 27. He will take full control of the national team until the end of the competition and lead the gold medal hunt.

Lee Hae-young, chairman of the Korea Baseball Softball Association, said, "The competition focused on selecting competent leaders with transparency and fairness as a top priority. As soon as the remaining approval process is completed, we plan to begin a full-fledged preparation system for the tournament, including the formation of coaching staff and selection of players."

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*This content was translated by AI.