"Players Should Be Supported to Live Comfortably as National Representatives"
Kim Taek-gyu, president of the Badminton Korea Association, stated on the 27th, "Overall, the customs of the old generation must be abolished," and expressed his intention to listen to the voice of An Se-young (22, Samsung Life Insurance).
According to Yonhap News, Kim said at the 2024 Korea Open Badminton, which opened that day at Mokpo Gymnasium in Jeollanam-do, "The customs of the old generation must be abolished. All regulations regarding national team selection, sponsorship, and contracts need to be revised," adding, "The top priority is to make the life of national team players comfortable."
Kim said, "The fact that An Se-young made such remarks even after winning a gold medal shows how much resentment she must have felt," and added, "(Although my term as president is) not much time is left, I will do my best to improve the system. I will thoroughly review all the points raised by An Se-young."
Regarding head coach Kim Hak-kyun, he said, "To lead dozens of players and coaching staff, various qualities are required, but I think there were too many personal tendencies," and added, "I feel the team was operated mainly focusing on Olympic participants, and I am not sure if communication with the top players was truly smooth."
Regarding the controversy over the lack of sponsorship from the Badminton Korea Association executives, unlike other associations, he responded, "I don't know since when, but the Badminton Korea Association executives have never made sponsorship contributions," and said, "This can be resolved by including a provision in the association's bylaws to impose contribution fees on executives."
Kim, who comes from a grassroots sports background, claimed that elite sports officials, who make up the majority of the association's board, obstructed the association's administration. Kim said, "They blinded my eyes and ears. My opinions were never reflected whenever the board met," and lamented, "Ultimately, the 'incompetent president' came to realize the players' discomfort through An Se-young's words."
An Se-young, who won the gold medal in women's singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is speaking to the press after returning home through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 7th. [Photo by Joint Press]
After An Se-young's candid remarks, Kim claimed that the allegations raised against him originated from internal factions. Kim emphasized, "There is not enough time even to discuss what to improve regarding what An Se-young said, but those people still show no interest and only slander," adding, "Elite officials should not behave like that but should come up with alternatives."
Regarding claims that he verbally abused some association staff, he said, "Raising my voice was wrong. If I caused hurt by using abusive language, I should apologize."
Earlier, on the 7th, Kim met with reporters upon arriving at Incheon International Airport and had a brief Q&A session regarding An Se-young's remarks. However, this is the first time he has expressed a detailed position through a media interview. At that time, Kim said, "It seems like the association has made many mistakes, but if you look at the press release distributed by the association, there will be much to understand." Subsequently, the association distributed a 10-page A4 press release outlining its stance on the 'An Se-young incident.'
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