An Se Young revealed the reasons for her disappointment with the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) after successfully winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
South Korea’s women’s singles won gold at the 2024 Olympics after defeating China’s representative, He Bingjao, in the final, Monday (5/8). An Se Young won in straight games 21-13, 21-16.
After the match, An Se Young expressed her feelings to the media. He admitted that he was disappointed with the BKA which was too indifferent to handling athlete injuries.
“My injury was more serious than I imagined, and could not be expressed, then I was too complacent. I was disappointed with our national team,” said An Se Young.
An Se Young also revealed the coach’s struggle to help her through difficult times. He was also haunted by worries about his future on the Korean national badminton team.
“In short, I feel that coach Soo Jung was too careful with my feelings in order to make my dreams come true and made me go through difficult times, so I feel very sorry.”
“After that moment I thought, ‘Can I continue in the national team?’,” said An Se Young.
An Se Young once wanted to withdraw from the South Korean national training team which was under the auspices of BKA. However, he admitted that he still had to consider the decision carefully.
“I have to speak about this carefully, but I am very disappointed. I hope the time will come when I can explain this in more detail,” he said.
An Se Young also felt more relieved after being able to let out the gossip about BKA that had been hidden for so long.
An Se Young’s anger immediately caught the attention of the South Korean government. The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed in an official statement that it would investigate An Se Young’s statement.
“We are currently investigating the situation surrounding the media interview that An Se Young conducted yesterday. Because the Paris 2024 Olympics are currently underway, we plan to determine the exact facts as soon as the Olympics end, and review the need for appropriate corrective action based on the results,” said official statement from the Korean Ministry of Sports.
The South Korean Ministry of Sports further stated that it would ask for information from all parties before making a decision.