German-born Martin Frederick has been appointed head coach of the Bangladesh Archery Federation’s world-class performance squad and given responsibility for the nation’s coaching staff and grassroots programmes, six months after leaving his previous role at the Chilean Archery Federation.
He signed a five-year contract under the Teer Go for Gold project, a privately-funded programme to raise the level of Bangladeshi archery ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“I visited the country in December 2017 to discuss the opportunity, their expectations and explore the ways I could be involved,” said Martin. “I found hard working archers, motivated coaches and a highly dedicated staff.”
“It showed a great base and such a huge potential to work with, so when the decision of whether to take the job or not came, it was easy for me to make it.”
Martin, who was with the Chilean Archery Federation for six years, coached Denisse van Lamoen when she won her world outdoor title in 2011 – his first year in Chile – and guided 16-year-old Ricardo Soto during his Olympic debut at Rio 2016.
His new role in Bangladesh covers all aspects of performance and coaching structure.
“I’m optimistic about the country’s archery future. We will first focus on working to achieve and maintain a high level among the Asian continent and, later on, worldwide,” said Martin.
In the short-term, Bangladesh’s archers will prepare for major events in the Asian Games, in Jakarta, Indonesia, in late August and the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games in October.
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