After clinching the Olympic gold medal in badminton, South Korea’s An Se-young took the opportunity to speak out about issues within her home country’s badminton federation.
On Monday, August 5, Se-young emerged victorious in the women’s singles tournament, defeating China’s He Bingjiao in the final match.
In the moments following her medal ceremony, Se-young addressed a pressing issue, expressing her disappointment with the Badminton Federation of Korea.
“I think it may be difficult to continue with the national team after this moment,” Se-young said after her win per news.au.com.
She elaborated that the national federation allegedly failed to support her during a knee injury she sustained last October at the Asian Games.
“I was so disappointed with [the Badminton Federation of Korea] during my injury. I really can’t get over those moments,” Se-young conveyed to the media.
In response to her statements, South Korea’s sports ministry announced plans to investigate the allegations raised by the athlete.
In a statement released on Tuesday, August 6, the ministry expressed its intention to ascertain ‘exact facts as soon as the Olympics conclude’ and to ‘review the need for appropriate improvement measures based on the findings’.
The ministry also indicated it would ‘examine whether there are areas for improvement in athlete management across other sports as well’.
Prior to the Olympics, Se-young discussed her injury on Instagram, providing her followers with insights into her condition.
Posting a photo of her hand with the words ‘I can do it’ written on it, Se-young explained (translated from Korean), “After the Asian Games, I was initially told I would need two to six weeks of rehabilitation before returning, but since the pain didn’t decrease, I visited a different clinic after the December Tour Finals.”
“The new diagnosis revealed that the partial tear in my patellar tendon would not improve quickly and that I would need to manage the pain and maintain the injury until the Olympics,” she added.
Se-young further mentioned that medical advice suggested she focus on ‘adapting to the pain until the Olympics… rather than immediate competition results’.
Speaking to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, Se-young criticized the current training regimes and safety measures of the association, describing them as outdated.
“My anger has been the fuel that has helped me realize my dream,” the gold medalist told the agency. “I wanted to have my voice heard. In a way, that has been my dream.”