SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean badminton star An Se-young, the women’s singles winner at the Paris Olympics, tempered her criticism of the national team upon her return home Wednesday as government officials look into her comments this week about being forced to play through injuries and receiving poor support ahead of the Games.
An’s comments, which she made in visible frustration after winning the gold medal match against China’s He Bingjiao on Monday, have dominated headlines and raised questions about the national team’s decision-making and training culture as well as the competence of badminton’s local governing body.
An took a softer tone with reporters at Incheon international airport, refusing to elaborate further on her complaints and saying she would need to discuss the matter first with her corporate team and South Korean badminton officials.
“I’m really not trying to fight, but I’m trying to appeal that I’d be allowed to fully devote myself into this sport,” she said.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a statement on Tuesday that it plans to conduct a fact-finding process on An’s complaints. Lee Kee-Heung, president of South Korea’s Olympic committee, told reporters that he instructed national team coaches to submit memos on how they handled An’s injuries since last October’s Asian Games in China.
Following her match against He, An accused the national team staff of forcing her to play through pain for weeks after misdiagnosing a knee injury she sustained during the Asian Games, which turned out to be more serious than initially thought.
An reportedly participated in about 20 domestic and international competitions last year alone, including events after the Asian Games. She also voiced her frustration with the national team over what she saw as a slow medical response after sustaining a separate ankle injury while training in France ahead of the Olympics, according to South Korean broadcaster JTBC.
An has also publicly criticized the national team’s training methods as outdated and predominantly focused on doubles players, who have traditionally performed better for South Korea in past Olympics. She claimed that the Badminton Korea Association excluded her from some recent international competitions without explaining those decisions to her.
An hinted that she may seek to end her relationship with the national team and compete individually, although that could potentially block her path to major events like the Olympics or world championships unless South Korea’s Olympic committee approves her participation.
“I was very, hugely disappointed with the national team during the time I was going through my injury and that’s a moment I cannot forget,” An said at a news conference after the gold medal match. “It would be unfair if athletes aren’t allowed to compete in the Olympics just because they left the national team.”
Kim Hak-kyun, the national team’s head coach, refused to answer reporters’ questions before boarding a flight back to South Korea. Kim Taek-gyu, president of Badminton Korea Association, insisted there were “no conflicts between me and the athlete, and between the association and the athlete,” but said the organization will review An’s complaints about how her injuries were handled.
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