Seoul: After South Korea’s World No. 1 An Se-Young won the women’s singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, she slammed the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) for its negligence and unfair treatment, sparking widespread controversy.
An Se-Young also announced on the 12th that she would not participate in this month’s Japan and Korea Opens, citing injuries, which many see as a direct challenge to the BKA. South Korean TV station SBS also exclusively revealed on Wednesday that in addition to everything that was published publicly in the last few days, An Se-Young has experienced unfair exploitation during her seven years on the national team.
According to SBS, the 22-year-old An Se-Young has been the youngest member of the South Korean national team throughout these seven years, where there’s a strict “seniority system” in place. She was reportedly forced to restring broken racquets for her seniors, clean their rooms, and even do their laundry. An Se-Young admitted that these chores prevented her from getting proper rest.
Reports indicate that An Se-Young’s family had discussions with the BKA in February 2024, requesting BKA to improve living problems in the national team, in fact, An Se-young has reportedly appealed to the association that she had been affected by such chores and she needed a break after long hours of training and this type of additional work.
An Se-Young’s explosive comments after winning the Paris Olympic gold were thus not without cause and even threatened to leave the national team. She recently announced her withdrawal from this month’s Japan and Korea Opens due to injuries, further fueling the ongoing controversy.
