Getty Image
Most countries would be pretty optimistic about their long-term Olympics prospects after seeing one of their athletes win a gold medal in their early 20s, but South Korea found itself with some badminton drama on its hands after An Se-young put officials on blast for allegedly ignoring an injury she was nonetheless able to overcome.
An Se-Young headed to the Olympics as the top-ranked women’s badminton player on the planet, but there were some concerns about her health heading into the competition in Paris due to a knee injury she suffered at the 2023 Asian Games that forced her to withdraw from the India Open at the start of 2024.
The 2024 Olympics gave An a shot at redemption after she was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Tokyo to eventual gold medal winner Chen Yufei, and if her injury was still bothering her, she didn’t really seem to show it over the course of a run where she didn’t lose a game in group play before ultimately earning the right to face off against He Bing Jiao of China in the gold medal match on Monday.
The 22-year-old An won the first game 21-13 before putting things away with a 21-16 performance that earned South Korea its first gold medal in women’s badminton singles since Bang Soo-Hyun ended up on the top spot on the podium in Atlanta in 1996.
As a result, you might think the future is very bright for the program, but its fate was cast into doubt by what she had to say in the wake of the victory.
According to Barron’s, An did not mince words while calling out the Badminton Korea Association for neglecting her needs to the point where she threatened to stop representing her country, saying:
“I think it may be difficult to continue with the national team after this moment. I was so disappointed with [the BKA] during my injury. I really can’t get over those moments.”
The Korea Times reports An specifically took issue with a system she says favors the development of doubles players (who have historically been more successful) as opposed to individuals like herself while calling attention to a stagnant training regimen, saying the “weightlifting program is the same 365 days a year, and skills training hasn’t changed for years.”
She also accused the BKA of removing her from tournaments without any explanation while fostering an environment where players were allegedly discouraged from challenging the powers that be.
South Korea’s Culture Ministry announced it plans to launch an investigation into the allegations, and it’s kind of hard to blame An for wanting to sever the relationship if based on her account of what transpired.