Formation of Fact-Finding Committee Announced in Official Press Release on the 7th
The Badminton Korea Association has issued its first official response to the resolute remarks made by 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist An Se-young (22, Samsung Life Insurance). While the association announced plans to form a fact-finding committee, it also rebutted claims made by An Se-young regarding 'negligent injury management' and other issues.
In a press release on the 7th, the association stated, "We will strive to ensure that important athletes in Korean sports do not leave the national team," adding, "We will listen carefully to An Se-young's opinions through open and in-depth interviews to identify problems and take maximum measures."
It further said, "We will hold interviews with the national team coaches and players as soon as possible to establish a 'fact-finding committee.'"
In particular, regarding An Se-young's criticisms of the inefficiency of the national team training, injury risks, and the doubles-focused operation, the association said, "We will thoroughly investigate the training methods and physical conditioning programs through the fact-finding committee."
An Se-young, who won the gold medal in women's singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is answering questions from the press as she departs through Charles de Gaulle Airport in France on the 6th (local time). [Photo by Yonhap News]
The association explained the process of managing An Se-young's injury after the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. An Se-young, who injured her knee in the Asian Games final last October, said after winning the gold medal at this Olympics, "My injury was more serious than I thought. I was very disappointed with the national team, which took it too lightly."
The association explained that An Se-young was diagnosed at her first examination as needing "absolute rest and stabilization for two weeks and four weeks until rehabilitation," and she received regenerative injection treatment. It added, "The hospital advised that participation in the Japan Masters (November 14?19) scheduled for the following month was impossible, and participation in the China Masters (November 21?26) was also difficult," but "An Se-young participated in both tournaments due to her strong will." This suggests the association tried to delay her return to prevent worsening of her injury.
However, the association bowed its head regarding the fact that a later re-examination revealed the severity of An Se-young's injury. It said, "We will thoroughly review medical and treatment records to confirm in which areas An Se-young suffered from misdiagnosis," and "We will manage this thoroughly within the association to prevent such incidents from recurring."
The association also explained the situation when An Se-young withdrew from the quarterfinals of the India Open in January this year due to a thigh injury. It stated, "After withdrawing from the quarterfinals, An Se-young requested an early return to Korea on Friday night, but the coaching staff judged that even if she flew on Saturday and returned to Korea on Sunday, immediate diagnosis and treatment would be difficult due to the holiday."
The association added, "They judged it better for her to rest and stabilize before returning with the team rather than returning without an accurate diagnosis of the injury," and "The coaching staff stated that they did not use Indian hospitals due to a lack of trust." It emphasized, "Among the 12 badminton players participating in the Olympics, An Se-young has been supported by a dedicated trainer since February this year to manage and recover from her injury."
The association's position is that they also provided full support when An Se-young injured her ankle tendon during the pre-Olympic camp. It said, "Although treatment support from the Korea Sports Council medical team and Korean medicine clinic services in Paris were available, we quickly arranged for a Korean medicine doctor designated by An Se-young from Seoul to be dispatched to Paris, incurring expenses exceeding 11 million KRW."
The association expressed reluctance regarding An Se-young's plan to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a non-national team member. Earlier, An Se-young said, when asked "What happens if you are not on the national team for the next Olympics?" that "It seems unfair to athletes if leaving the national team means they cannot compete in the Olympics."
The association stated, "The national team selection regulations allow international competition participation for 'retired national team players' only if they have been active for five or more years and are aged 27 or older for women and 28 or older for men," adding, "Ignoring these regulations raises serious concerns about players leaving the national team, which would cause significant difficulties in managing the national team." Born in February 2002, An Se-young will not be 27 by 2028, four years later.
It also said, "The final authority to decide Olympic participants lies with the Korean Olympic Committee, so our association cannot arbitrarily grant participation rights to athletes."
Additionally, the association denied allegations of instructing absence from Korea Sports Council press conferences, forcing participation in doubles matches, and directing participation in international competitions to avoid fines.
Regarding An Se-young's consistent desire to use a personal trainer, the association said, "There has been no official communication to the association. We will accurately verify the facts."
On the termination of the contract with trainer Han Soo-jung, who was dedicated to An Se-young this year, the association explained, "Although the contract period ended on June 30 this year, we offered to extend the contract until the end of the Olympics, but trainer Han Soo-jung declined to go to Paris. The contract was extended only until July 12, the departure date for the pre-training camp." Han Soo-jung was hired as a conditioning manager in July last year and has been An Se-young's dedicated trainer since this year.
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