Association "Allows Limited, Temporary, and Exceptional Autonomy"
"Measures Taken Considering Various Opinions Comprehensively"
Photos of Foot Blisters Caused by Shoes Also Released
2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist An Se-young (left), photo of a blister on the sole (right). [Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@, Office of Assemblyman Min Hyung-bae]
Badminton player An Se-young (22, Samsung Life) will be able to refrain from wearing the national team sponsor's shoes, which she had complained about discomfort, for the time being.
The Badminton Korea Association announced in a press release on the 14th, "Until the contract negotiations with Yonex are completed, we have decided to allow temporary, limited, and exceptional autonomy only for An Se-young's game shoes." They added, "This measure was taken after comprehensively considering public opinion expressed after the Paris Olympics, various opinions raised in National Assembly inquiries, feedback from sports officials, and An Se-young's own views." The association also stated, "We will do our best to develop customized game shoes that satisfy An Se-young, while carefully negotiating with Yonex regarding issues such as equipment selection for all national team players."
Earlier, on the 24th of last month, Chairman Kim Taek-gyu appeared as a witness at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee inquiry and promised, "(The regulations) do not change just because someone personally wants them to, but we will change them." The current Badminton Korea Association regulations stipulate that "when training and participating in competitions as a national team member, players must use uniforms and equipment designated by the association." Among Olympic sports, only badminton and boxing require athletes to use sponsor-provided equipment that directly affects performance, such as rackets and shoes.
On that day, Min Hyung-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asked, showing a photo of An Se-young's blistered sole, "An herself says (the inflammation on her sole) is due to the shoes, so why does the domestic association not have an exception rule unlike other countries?" Chairman Kim cited the contract with the sponsor and the related regulations as reasons. In response, Rep. Min said, "Is that something the chairman should say? Then why be the chairman?" and criticized, "If a national team player complains about discomfort because the shoes don't fit, shouldn't you try to resolve that?" Kim Hak-gyun, the head coach of the badminton national team who was also present, said, "Shoe problems frequently occur during training or competitions," and added, "Due to sponsor relationships, it is not something I can intervene in." Rep. Min then urged Chairman Kim to resign, saying, "I cannot understand the pathetic behavior of adults who say they had no choice because of the regulations."
Subsequently, An Se-young participated in the preliminary round of the women's general team event in badminton at the 105th National Sports Festival held in Miryang, Gyeongnam, on the 9th. In an interview after the match, she tearfully said, "I want to sincerely thank the fans who have loved my badminton a lot, and I am glad to be able to return. I will show good performances often from now on."
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