Seoul: In a heartwarming gesture, women’s singles World No.1 An Se Young has just donated 13 million won (USD ~$10,000) to support elementary school students in Korea.
This donation comes from the reward money she won at the 2023 Korean National Badminton Team Award Ceremony in December. Here, the Badminton Korea Association dispersed ~130 million won in rewards to players and coaches.
An Se Young decided to donate each and every single well deserved ounce of 13 million won. She has truly been inspirational, from winning 10 international competitions last year, including a particularly significant moment of overcoming a knee injury and winning the women’s singles gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian games and other unbelievable performances. These displays of prowess have been acknowledged accordingly from the reward money.
But even so, she decided to employ the funds to better support young badminton players at the primary level in Korea.
An Se Young, named the 2023 Badminton World Federation “Female Athlete of the Year”, also embarked on her badminton journey in the first grade of her primary school. And now, even in the face of undeniable success, she remains humble in her commitment to nurturing young talents and providing for the community. Rather than appreciating fame and basking in it, she commits her time towards aiding aspiring badminton players, a true inspiration, even claiming she was “just an ordinary athlete” as said following the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Furthermore, this isn’t the only gesture of altruism exhibited by her. Last October, during her knee rehabilitation and personal training period, she visited her hometown of Gwangju. Here, she personally met with 80 elementary, middle, and high school students, providing gifts, snacks, and encouragement. This wasn’t an act of publicity or encouraged by sponsors, it was purely her own heartfelt endeavor. In return, the juniors express their gratitude through letters and handmade cards, truly showing her positive impact on society.
