An Se Young Criticizes Badminton Korea Association for Ignoring Her Injury; Korea’s Presidential Office Calls for Thorough Review

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An Se-young is a talented and hardworking player, and we strongly support her for speaking up about the poor treatment she received from the Badminton Korea Association. (Photo: AFP)
An Se-young is a talented and hardworking player, and we strongly support her for speaking up about the poor treatment she received from the Badminton Korea Association. (Photo: AFP)

Paris: Less than 24 hours after winning a gold medal for the South Korean badminton team for the first time in 16 years, women’s singles world No. 1 and world champion An Se-young criticized the Badminton Korea Association, expressing disappointment with the Korean national team and revealing she had considered retiring from the sport.

According to South Korean media, An Se-young, who had been competing with a knee injury, decided to voice her dissatisfaction after securing the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

The 22-year-old said, “I am very disappointed with the national team, especially during my injury. I cannot forget those moments. My injury was more severe than I initially expected, but the national team did not take it seriously, which was disappointing. At that moment, I found it difficult to continue competing for the national team.”

Regarding retirement, An Se-young, who has achieved a full career Grand Slam with Olympic gold, world championship, Asian Games gold, and Uber Cup champion titles, said, “Although I want to continue playing badminton and contribute to the sport’s development, creating my own records, I am unsure what the Badminton Korea Association will do. But as long as I can keep playing badminton, I feel I can endure any situation.”

When asked about her prospects for the next Olympics without being part of the Korean national team, An Se-young said, “Isn’t it too harsh for players if they can’t compete in the Olympics without being in the national team?”

“I think singles and doubles are entirely different in badminton, and an athlete’s injury or any other qualification should not deprive them of their right to compete. However, it seems our association is blocking everything. It feels like they are imposing many restrictions under the guise of freedom.”

“I do believe badminton can make more progress, but the fact that we (South Korea) have only won one badminton gold medal at these Olympics is something worth reflecting on.”

Korean media also reported on Tuesday that Korea’s Presidential Office has responded to An Se-young’s statements, stating that they would impartially handle the situation after understanding the positions of both An Se-young and the Badminton Korea Association.

The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism also issued a statement today, announcing they would conduct a related investigation after the Olympics.

The Ministry’s statement read, “Since the Paris Olympics are ongoing, we will accurately understand the facts after the Olympics and consider whether it is necessary to take appropriate improvement measures based on the investigation results.”

The statement also added, “We also plan to thoroughly check other sports for any areas needing improvement to better manage our athletes.”

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