"The Association's Special Care Will Be Revealed"… Bang Suhyeon Criticizes An Seyoung

"Who Pushed to Get into the National Team... It's Not Only An Se-young Who's Struggling"

Former national badminton player and MBC commentator Bang Soo-hyun (52) once again criticized An Se-young (22, Samsung Life Insurance) while defending the Badminton Association.

On the 5th (local time), at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris, France, An Se-young of Korea, who won the gold medal in the women's singles badminton final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is receiving congratulations from commentator Bang Su-hyun.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In an interview with Sunday Newspaper on the 9th, commentator Bang stated, "For the first time in history, the Badminton Association allowed An Se-young to have a personal trainer," adding, "I understand that this was a considerable accommodation made to help An Se-young recover her physical condition."

He continued, "It is very difficult to play as a national team athlete. It’s not only hard for An Se-young. Every player competes under such conditions wearing the Taeguk mark," and pointed out, "I also joined the national team at a young age and went through all those times. No one was pushed into the national team."

Commentator Bang also said, "An Se-young may have tried to expose the association’s irregularities or the player protection issues within the national team when her words carried weight after winning the Olympic gold medal, but I felt sorry that the efforts of the practice partners, coaches, and trainers who helped An Se-young were overlooked because of those remarks," emphasizing, "The more closely you look at this situation, the more it will be revealed how specially the association cared for An Se-young."

He added, "I don’t want to criticize the content of An Se-young’s interview. I just regret the timing of the interview," and lamented, "It was very unfortunate that on a joyous day when the whole nation was celebrating the first Olympic gold medal in women’s singles in 28 years, she made a bombshell statement at the Olympic gold medal press conference as if on purpose. Because of that interview, other athletes participating in the Olympics, related issues, and results were overshadowed."

Regarding the controversy caused by his previous critical remarks about An Se-young, he clarified, "Some people are trying to make it seem like I have some connection with the association. I have absolutely no relation."

Commentator Bang recently stirred controversy by posting on his social media, "The Olympic gold medal wasn’t achieved by An Se-young alone, but there is no sign of gratitude toward the coaches, trainers, and fellow players who have guided and trained with her so far." In an interview with a media outlet, he also targeted An Se-young again, saying, "It is true that the association and system need some changes, but An Se-young herself did not win the gold medal alone."

He said, "I spent a long time on the national team and participated in many international competitions, so I know well how much the association, coaches, and training partners have struggled. Is there any player who doesn’t have some regrets about the association? I also probably had complaints about the association’s management during my playing days," and concluded the interview by saying, "However, if you wore the Taeguk mark and stood on the Olympic stage and won the gold medal with difficulty, it would have been better to create an opportunity after returning home to organize and convey your thoughts through an interview while embracing the value and glory of that gold medal."