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Get to the bottom of athlete mistreatment

Published: 07 Aug. 2024, 20:21

World badminton champion An Se-young — who has gifted Korea with the first gold medal in women’s singles since 1996 in the Paris Olympics — stunned fans back home after the 22-year-old star player hinted at the possibility of leaving the national team due to the persistently neglectful treatment of athletes by the coaching staff and the Badminton Korea Association (BKA). Public anger deepened after she confessed that she had to endure her injury alone and receive harsh training to compete in the Olympic Games.

She drew public attention through her post-medal press conference and Facebook post pointing to a long list of problems with the badminton association — poor management of injured athletes, biased training methods, an inefficient decision-making process and the 27-year age limit to compete in international matches.

The sight of a young athlete who should be immersed in joy after winning a gold medal instead ranting in anger suggests the level of agony she had gone through. She was injured while competing in the women’s singles final at the Hangzhou Asian Games in China last September. She said that she was disappointed at the association as it didn’t take her injury seriously, and after her ordeal, she began to question if she could really stay on the national team.

An corrected what she said earlier and said she was not retiring from the national team but hoped to shed light on the association’s poor management and treatment of athletes. She wished to “communicate” with the BKA and her coaches, expressing envy towards the national archery team for its systematic training and management program.

An claimed that the badminton association favored players for doubles instead of singles, as doubles achieved better results in international competitions. She said she had asked for personal training like her competitors in China and Taiwan but was ignored. The association denied her accusation that it neglected players “in the name of freedom.” The baffled association claimed it had fully supported her and other players.

What she claimed calls for an investigation. Unlike older Olympic athletes, younger players place significance in the challenge itself rather than medal counts. They prize communication, procedures and fairness above all.

Even the presidential office has promised to look into her allegations. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must listen to both sides and share the results with the public transparently. The association as well as the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee running on the tax funds of 480 billion won ($348 million) a year must innovate its outdated operation methods and systems and replace their leaders with new faces before it’s too late.