2024-08-05 22:32:43
After Ahn Se-young (22), the gold medalist in women’s singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, expressed her dissatisfaction with the Badminton Association and made a ‘bombshell statement’, controversy grew. She added, “This is not about talking to someone as if we are at war. This is about protecting the players.”
On the 6th, Ahn Se-young wrote on her SNS, “Contrary to my imagination of wanting to end the day romantically, everyone was surprised by my interview, right?” and “I wanted to enjoy myself a bit as if I had finished my homework, but before I had time to, the interview expanded into another article. There really is no easy turning point in my story.”
He continued, “I wanted to talk about player management, but I feel hurt once again by articles from the association and coaches that unintentionally pass the buck.” He added, “It’s not that I’m good, but I wanted to talk about how players need to be protected and managed, and about communication rather than power, but it’s unfortunate that it’s being reproduced as sensational articles.”
An Se-young emphasized, “I hope you understand that this is not a story about fighting someone, but a story about protecting the players,” and “Please do not misinterpret it as ‘retirement.’ I hope that there will be an adult who will think about the stories I want to tell and come up with a solution.”
Earlier, Ahn Se-young won the gold medal in the women’s singles final at the Paris Olympics on the 5th, defeating He Bingzhao (27, China, 9th) 2-0 (21-13, 21-16). This is the first Olympic singles gold medal for a Korean athlete in 28 years, following Bang Soo-hyun (52) at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
After the match, Ahn Se-young complained to the association, saying that she had been suffering from persistent knee pain since the injury she sustained at the Hangzhou Asian Games. After the awards ceremony, she continued to ‘snipe’ the Korea Badminton Association in the mixed zone (joint press area) and the press conference room.
In a press conference after winning, Ahn Se-young said, “The injury (of the knee I suffered at the Asian Games last year) was more serious than I thought. However, I was very disappointed in the association for taking it too lightly,” and added, “I can’t forget that moment (when I was disappointed in the association). I think it might be difficult for me to continue with the national team after this moment.”
He added, “As long as I can continue playing badminton, I can endure any situation,” and “I think it’s a bit harsh for athletes to say that they can’t compete in the Olympics just because they’re on the national team. I think the association is blocking too many things.”
An Se-young also said, “I think it’s time to look back and see that (at this Olympics where the best results were expected) only one gold medal was won,” and added, “I hope that this gold medal will lead badminton to develop further. I hope badminton will receive more love.”
The Korea Badminton Association decided to hold an interview with Ahn Se-young and announce their position after the national team returns from Paris on the 7th. It is known that Ahn Se-young has been consistently expressing this dissatisfaction to the association since last year.
An association official explained, “The association provided medical support, such as assigning a separate oriental doctor to Ahn Se-young, but the athlete herself seemed to feel that it was not enough,” and “It is true that Ahn Se-young has continuously expressed dissatisfaction with the national team’s activities. The association also went through a process of continuous interviews and mediation.”
It has been reported that Ahn Se-young sent a statement containing her demands to the association in January of this year and also informed the association of her intention not to compete in the upcoming Olympics.
Reporter Song Chi-hoon, Donga.com [email protected]
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2024-08-05 22:32:43