An Se-young Criticizes Association, Reforms Announced

dd yy November 7, 2024 7 0

According to Yonhap News, on October 31, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of South Korea announced the investigation results on the Korean Badminton Association at a government building in Seoul. The Ministry called for an investigation into alleged embezzlement, trust violations, and other misconduct by the association’s chairman, recommending dismissal and disciplinary action.

During the announcement, Lee Jeong-woo, Director of the Sports Bureau of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, explained that after An Se-young publicly criticized the Korean Badminton Association following her victory at the Paris Olympics, the Ministry formed an investigation team on August 10. They examined five areas, including sponsorship, the improvement of unreasonable policies, subsidy project execution, association management, and workplace bullying within the association.

Korean Badminton Head Criticizes An Se-young

During the investigation, the Ministry interviewed 36 of the 51 national team athletes, including head coach Kim Hak-gyun and An Se-young. The remaining 15 players could not participate due to overseas tournaments, national competitions, or personal reasons. The investigation found that the other players had similar concerns as An Se-young. The Ministry also collected feedback from marketing experts, representatives from the Korea Corporate Badminton Federation, corporate teams, and former national team players to address sponsorship and policy improvements.

**Image: Korean Badminton Association President Kim Taek-kyu

The investigation team also conducted face-to-face interviews with individuals associated with the Korean Badminton Association, excluding President Kim Taek-kyu, who refused to cooperate. On September 26, he explicitly declined to participate in the investigation on-site, and despite multiple requests and an extension of the investigation period to October 31, they were unable to conduct an in-person investigation.

Image: Lee Jeong-woo, Director of the Sports Bureau, Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism

Key reform measures announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism include:

Improvement of Injury Management System: Athletes will now have the freedom to choose their medical providers for diagnosis and rehabilitation. Previously, this process lacked clear regulations and was decided ad hoc.
Expansion of Medical Staff and Facilities at Jincheon National Training Center: With current shortages, athletes often experience delays in treatment during peak periods. Starting next year, athletes will undergo health screenings upon joining the national team, and health conditions will be managed accordingly.
Relaxation of Restrictions on Athlete Movements During Holidays and Weekends: Previously, national badminton team athletes faced strict restrictions on leaving the training center, even on days without training. This restriction, deemed a human rights violation, will now be lifted, except in cases like upcoming international competitions or infectious disease outbreaks.Additionally, unreasonable practices like mandatory cleaning, laundry, and reporting upon leaving will be abolished. These practices were eliminated for the women’s team after An Se-young’s suggestion in April, but remained for the men’s team. The Korean Sports Council revised the national team training camp’s operating guidelines in late September to prohibit personal orders. Starting next year, all national team athletes will be monitored every six months.
Abolition of Early Morning and Mountain Training: Introduced in April 2023, these training sessions posed injury risks for athletes, who were more concerned with potential harm than training benefits. Future training schedules will align with the most suitable training times for each sport.
Enhancement of Specialized Training for Singles and Doubles Players: The current coaching staff is insufficient, and the youngest athletes have to train alone. Training methods have also not evolved over the years.
Involvement of Athletes’ Personal Trainers: Based on the model of the Korean Football Association, which established a system allowing private trainers for national team athletes after the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup, this approach will be extended to badminton.
Rest Periods for National Team Players After International Competitions: To ease issues with jet lag, physical fatigue, and mental stress, national players will be allowed rest time upon returning from international events, instead of immediately rejoining training.
Strategic Participation in International Competitions: To extend the careers of top players and provide exposure for second-tier players, the Ministry will adopt strategic participation guidelines, allowing top players rest periods and second-tier players more competition opportunities, thus enhancing overall team competitiveness and facilitating a natural player transition process.