"Will Understand by Looking at Future Press Releases"
Kim Taek-gyu, president of the Badminton Korea Association, drew a clear line regarding the issue raised by An Se-young (Samsung Life), who won the gold medal in women's singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, about some of the association's operational policies, stating that "there was no conflict between the association and An Se-young's side."
On the morning of the 7th, around 8:30 a.m., after returning through Incheon International Airport, Kim met with reporters and, when asked about his thoughts on An Se-young's remarks, said, "It hurts emotionally," expressing his feelings.
He continued, "It may seem like the association made many mistakes, but if you look at the press release to be distributed later, there will be much to understand," emphasizing, "There was no conflict between me and the player, or between the association and the player."
On the 7th, Kim Taek-gyu, President of the Korea Badminton Association, is answering reporters' questions at Incheon Airport upon his return to the country. [Image source=Yonhap News]
He added, "(An Se-young) has fully dedicated herself to her athletic career," and "We will investigate and distribute a press release only regarding the part about the (injury) misdiagnosis." Regarding An Se-young's statement implying that she "cannot continue with the national team," he said, "We will also check why she said that."
Regarding the reason why An Se-young's contract with her dedicated training coach ended before the Paris Olympics, he explained, "Because the contract period ended," adding, "The contract itself was set to last only until before the Olympics."
Meanwhile, on the 5th (local time), An Se-young defeated China's He Bingjiao in the women's singles final held at Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, and won the gold medal. However, at a subsequent press conference, she made a pointed remark, saying, "My injury was more severe than expected, and I was quite disappointed with the national team, who took it too lightly," sparking controversy.
She also said, "I thought it might be difficult to continue with the national team after this moment," adding, "I was greatly disappointed with the national team while going through my injury. From the moment of the initial misdiagnosis, I endured and played, but when I was re-examined at the end of last year, it was much worse. I persevered steadfastly and was able to come this far thanks to the help of my trainer."
Previously, An Se-young was understood to have avoided a major injury after a short two-week rehabilitation diagnosis from her first examination in October last year. However, the re-examination revealed that she would have to endure pain for some time while continuing to compete.
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