Badminton star An Se-young urges for more flexibility in support practices

Olympic badminton champion An Se-young broke her long silence Friday, clarifying her recent criticism of the national badminton federation.

The 22-year-old gold medalist sparked controversy when she lashed out at her national team and the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) for their poor handling of her knee injury, and for outdated and inefficient operations, among other things, soon after winning the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics on Aug. 5.

But she had not commented further on the situation.

"What I ultimately want to express is my hope for more flexibility in changing unreasonable but customary practices," An wrote on her social media account.

An elaborated on her concerns regarding injury management, expressing disappointment with the support she received.

"I wanted flexible and efficient support tailored to each player's specific situation and injury severity, as they all differ," she said. "However, the reality I encountered was far from this, which greatly disappointed and saddened me. I deeply regret that there wasn't someone who would listen to my concerns, rather than dismissing the issue with comments like 'You're not the only one' or 'You're already receiving special treatment.'"

She injured her right knee during the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games final and hurt her ankle tendon in the pre-Olympic training camp this year.

The young athlete urged the BKA to take proactive action, saying, "I hope that the association officials, who now hold the key to change, will no longer turn a blind eye and take proactive action.

"I'm secretly hoping for a time to have an honest conversation about what I've experienced, rather than engaging in a blame game with the association."

An's initial comments sparked investigations by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.

She addressed these bodies, requesting they "listen carefully to the athletes' voices and ensure smooth communication between the association and players."

But she once again apologized to fellow South Korean athletes for stealing the spotlight away from them with her recent criticism of the national badminton federation.

"I've learned that while I've been focused solely on training and competition, I still lack the wisdom to navigate life's challenges," An said.

"I sincerely apologize to all the South Korean Olympic team members, officials and the public for any concerns I may have caused." (Yonhap)