"Please Do Not Misinterpret It as Retirement"
"It's Not About Arguing with Someone Like a War"
Ahn Se-young is showing a bright expression before departing through Incheon International Airport on the 12th of last month. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@
Shortly after winning the gold medal in the women's singles badminton final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, An Se-young, who sparked retirement rumors by making 'determined remarks' about the Korea Badminton Association, clarified her position through her social media account.
On the 5th, An Se-young posted a lengthy message on her Instagram. In the post, she said, "This is about athlete protection and management," and dismissed the retirement rumors by asking people not to misunderstand her words as retirement.
She confessed, "I wanted to enjoy the feeling of having completed my homework for a while, but without any time to do so, my interview is being expanded into other articles," adding, "My story never has an easy moment at each turning point."
She also said, "I wanted to talk about the athlete management part (by the association), but I get hurt again by articles that shift the blame onto the association or the coach." She continued, "It’s not because I’m outstanding, but I wanted to talk about the parts where athletes need to be protected and managed, and about communication rather than power," expressing regret that "it is unfortunate that this is being replayed as sensational articles." She appealed, "Please understand that this is not about fighting with someone but about the protection of athletes."
An Se-young concluded her post by saying, "I hope there will be adults who will consider and resolve the things I want to talk about."
Earlier, right after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, An Se-young made 'determined remarks' about the badminton national team.
On the 5th (local time), at the Porte de la Chapelle arena in Paris, France, An Se-young defeated world No. 9 He Bingjiao (China) 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) in the women's singles final to secure the gold medal. After the award ceremony, An Se-young said, "My injury was more serious than expected, and I was quite disappointed with the national team, who thought about it too complacently," adding, "After this moment, I also thought it might be difficult to continue with the national team," making a surprising remark.
At the following press conference, she stated, "I was very disappointed with the national team while going through my injury. I cannot forget that moment." She added, "I want to continue for the development of badminton and my records, but I don’t know what the association will do. I think I can endure any situation as long as I can play badminton."
These remarks led to widespread media reports about retirement, causing a major controversy.
[Full text of An Se-young’s Instagram post]
Did everyone get surprised by my interview, which was different from my imagination of wanting to end the day romantically?
I wanted to enjoy the feeling of having finished my homework for a while, but without any time to do so, my interview is being expanded into other articles, so my story never has an easy moment at each turning point.
First of all, thank you for supporting and waiting for my Olympics.
At the end of it, I wanted to talk about athlete management, but unintentionally, I get hurt again by articles that shift the blame onto the association or the coach.
It’s not because I’m outstanding, but I wanted to talk someday about the parts where athletes need to be protected and managed, and about communication rather than power, but it’s unfortunate that this is being replayed as sensational articles.
Please understand that this is not about fighting with someone but about the protection of athletes.
And please do not misunderstand it as retirement.
I hope there will be adults who will consider and resolve the things I want to talk about.
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