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An Se-young, the winner of the Paris Olympics badminton women’s singles gold, takes questions from reporters after arriving home in Korea via Incheon International Airport on Aug. 7, 2024. (Baek So-ah/Hankyoreh)

An Se-young, the 22-year-old badminton player who won gold in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games badminton women’s singles event, returned to South Korea on Wednesday.

After becoming the first South Korean player to win gold in the badminton women’s singles since Bang Soo-hyun in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics, An threw shade at the Badminton Korea Association for what she said was poor player management.

She guarded with reporters when she returned to Korea, saying, “I really didn’t mean to start a fight. My comments came from a place of just wanting to focus on my training.” However, her comments have set off a firestorm beyond her control.

With even the presidential office having been notified of the situation, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also declared that it will investigate matters. The association released press statements on Wednesday with signatures from the national team’s coaching staff for the Paris Olympics to contest all of An’s claims.

Inadequate treatment for An’s knee injury?

An left the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, which took place in September 2023, with both a gold medal and a knee injury.

“The injury was more severe than anyone expected, and I was disappointed by how nonchalant the national team was about the situation,” An said. “My initial diagnosis, which claimed that all I needed was two to four weeks of rehabilitation, turned out to be a misdiagnosis. I received another checkup in late 2023, and it told me that I would have to play while getting used to the pain.”

However, the association stated, “The initial diagnosis stated that she needed two weeks of absolute bed rest and four weeks of rehabilitation. As such, it expressed concern that it would be difficult for An to participate in both the Japan and China Masters, which took place on Nov. 14-19, 2023 and Nov. 21-26, respectively, and that it would take some time until she made a full recovery. However, An underwent rehabilitation training at her team, Samsung Life Insurance, of her own will. With a strong desire to return to the court, she competed at the Japan and China Masters.”

Out of the 12 badminton players competing for Korea in the Paris Olympics, An was the only one to be assigned a personal trainer who catered to her every need, starting in February. The trainer An has mentioned often in interviews, Han Soo-jung, was hired on a year-long contract in July 2023 as a conditioning specialist.

Han also acted as a mental performance coach, as she was there for An whenever she went through a rough patch physically and mentally. The association explained that while the association suggested, as per An’s request, that Han’s contract be extended after it expired in June, Han turned down the offer.

An also claimed that the association failed to take appropriate action after she sprained her ankle on July 14, just ahead of the Olympics, while practicing at a training camp on the outskirts of Paris. Once she complained, the association rushed to fly in a doctor of Korean medicine from South Korea to Paris, she said

The association refuted such claims by saying, “After consulting with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, we were all set to provide An with medical support from the committee’s medical team and a Korean medicine clinic based in Paris, but we incurred a bill of more than 11 million won to arrange for a Korean medicine doctor of An’s choice to come to Paris. We kept An’s injury under wraps to avoid exposing it to her opponents.”

Korea’s An Se-young celebrates after winning the Olympic gold in women’s singles badminton at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena in Paris on Aug. 5, 2024. (pool photo)

Doubles favoritism at play?

During an interview with Yonhap News conducted right after the finals, An said, “Since South Korea always has done better in the doubles, the doubles players were prioritized when it came to physical treatment and training.”

“Singles and doubles are clearly different and we have to train in different systems. There should be different head coaches and training personnel for the two, and there should be separate, systematic training routines,” An added while also protesting that “the weight training routine never changes while the training program is still the same as the one from years ago.”

The South Korean national badminton team has, to date, only won one gold medal in badminton singles (Bang Soo-hyun in 1996) while winning five gold medals in the doubles. An seems to be using her clout as a gold medalist to speak up about the injustices she felt for the past seven years, ever since she first started playing for the national team when she was 15.

In response, the association said it would form a committee to “thoroughly investigate the training routines and fitness programs currently taking place.” The association drew a firm line when asked whether it ignored An’s request to use a personal trainer for better performance, stating that “the association was never officially notified of such a request.”

Will it be possible for An to compete independently in international events?

The association is currently sponsored by Yonex, receiving both cash and in-kind sponsorship. As such, badminton players for the South Korean national team are required to wear Yonex uniforms and shoes when competing in international tournaments. It has been reported, however, that An wanted to use a different brand of shoes.

Most world-class players receive private sponsorships, but An was reportedly restricted from doing so. An also challenged the hierarchy established within the national training center.

While An has expressed her desire to leave the national team, that would prevent her from participating in international events. According to the association, for an independent individual to perform internationally, one must have played for the national team for at least five years. Male players should be at least 28 years old, while female players should be 27, at least. An is only 22.

“If relevant regulations are dismissed, there is considerable concern that many players on the national team will want to leave. That will cause considerable distress to the association’s management of the national team,” the association remarked.

While there’s precedent in SK Telecom’s patronage of Park Tae-hwan (2007-2012) as he competed in the Olympics, this is a model of sponsorship rarely seen even outside of Korea. 

According to an insider in the sports field, Samsung Life Insurance Badminton Club, to which An belongs, reportedly does not authorize athletes to have individual contracts with sports agents. 

By Kim Yang-hee, staff reporter; Chung In-seon, Incheon correspondent

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