"Leading Courage Support"... Encouragement and Cheers Pour Out for An Seyoung Who Broke the Silence

Global Fans Also "Send Love and Support"

Badminton player An Se-young (22, Samsung Life), who won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and directly criticized the Badminton Korea Association and the national team, expressed her official stance after 11 days, receiving supportive messages from netizens.

On the 16th, An Se-young posted a statement on the social networking service (SNS) 'Instagram,' which included comments such as "I don't know who the adult is," "It is right to improve bad customs. It must have been mentally burdensome to take the lead, but I support your courageous actions," "I hope many things will change because of this," and "All criticism is not just for An Se-young but for a better future of Korean badminton."

Some netizens presumed to be from English-speaking countries also expressed their support in English. They commented, "Sending love and support," "We are with you," "We are always behind you, you are not alone," and "Don't give up, hope you recover quickly from your injury."

On the same day, An Se-young said in her statement, "What I ultimately want to talk about is the hope that unreasonable but customary practices will become a bit more flexible."

She added, "Especially regarding injuries, since it is truly painful and difficult for all players, I also hoped for conditions and support that would allow me to recover well from my injury," and "Because each player's situation and the specific degree of injury are different, I wanted flexible and efficient support tailored to that."

An Se-young also expressed her willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue rather than a confrontation with the Badminton Korea Association. She said, "I secretly hope there will be a sincere conversation about the experiences I went through, rather than a confrontation to determine right or wrong with the association, and I hope to have such an opportunity soon."

She continued, "From now on, since the association officials hold the key to change, I hope they will no longer ignore this and act proactively," and "I ask for continuous interest so that under a rational system, players can focus solely on their training and fully demonstrate good performance."

She also conveyed her wish to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, which launched an investigation, saying, "I hope they ensure smooth communication between the association and players and listen carefully to the voices of the athletes."

An Se-young apologized for the controversy caused by her candid remarks. She said, "During an interview after winning the Olympic gold, when asked about my injury, the seven years of my national team life flashed through my mind, and I ended up saying words I had kept inside," adding, "The impact of those words caused harm to players who should have been receiving congratulations and encouragement during the Olympics." She bowed her head and said, "Once again, I apologize to all the Korean Olympic team athletes and officials, and to the public who were worried."

Earlier, on the 5th, after winning the women's singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics, An Se-young openly criticized the Badminton Korea Association. She stated, "My injury was more serious than expected, and I was greatly disappointed with the national team, which thought about it too lightly," and "I also thought it might be difficult to continue with the national team after this moment." She also claimed that she had been in charge of laundry and cleaning for the national team for the past seven years.

The revelation that An Se-young had taken on chores for her seniors since being selected as a national team member caused a stir. According to reports by SBS and Channel A on the 14th, An Se-young's parents met with officials from the Badminton Korea Association in February and presented seven demands. An Se-young's side requested improvements in living conditions within the national team athletes' village.

An Se-young was first selected for the national team in 2017 when she was in the third year of middle school. Since then, she has been responsible for chores in the national team for seven years. It is reported that she replaced broken racket strings for seniors, cleaned rooms, and even did laundry for some seniors.