The Saudi archery federation has named Lee Chang-Hwan as its new national recurve head coach, ushering in a new phase for the country’s high-performance archery programme.
Lee brings extensive elite experience as both an athlete and coach, including Olympic, world and Asian Games titles, and most recently worked with Korea’s highly successful youth national team as well as a professional domestic team.
As an athlete, he won Olympic team gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and was a key member of Korea’s dominant squads at multiple World Archery Championships – including the individual title in 2009 and team gold medals in 2007 and 2009 – as well as Asian Games team gold in 2006.
Federation president Abdullah Alnowaiser welcomed Lee’s appointment as a major boost to the sport’s growth in Saudi Arabia.
“This is an excellent addition to our coaching staff,” Alnowaiser said. “The federation has big plans for the development of the sport in the kingdom, and we believe Coach Lee will be a great leader for us in this work.”
Technical director Robert Turner highlighted Lee’s role in developing both athletes and coaches.
“He will also be aiding us in our plans for a youth development programme, particularly in improving the technical skills of our coaches,” Turner said. “We have a big year ahead with a range of new projects and events, and we are very happy to have Coach Lee on board to support these.”
Lee will take up his duties immediately, attending the Federation Cup in Riyadh and overseeing the national team trials for the 2026 season, before turning his focus to preparing Saudi archers for the Asian Games.
The appointment aligns with the federation’s ambition to build a sustainable high-performance system, elevate Saudi archery on the international stage and inspire the next generation of champions in the country.
