Korean Badminton Champion Faced Years of Chores and Conflict Despite Olympic Glory
An Se-young, who clinched the gold medal in women’s singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, recently revealed that she had to perform chores like laundry and cleaning for her senior teammates throughout her seven-year tenure with the national team.
On August 15, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism pressured the Korean Badminton Association (BKA) to establish a special investigation committee to look into the controversies surrounding An. This committee, composed of both BKA members and external parties, was formed to scrutinize the practices within the national team.
An, now 22, joined the national team at the age of 15, making her the youngest member at the time. She disclosed that it was a long-standing tradition for younger players to handle various chores, such as stringing rackets, cleaning rooms, and doing laundry for their senior teammates. An was obligated to perform these tasks for seven years, simply because she was the youngest.
In February 2024, An’s parents met with BKA representatives to present seven requests, including improving living conditions for athletes on the team. An, born in 2002, expressed that these additional chores left her exhausted, with little time to rest.
The BKA forwarded the family’s requests to the national badminton team. However, the coaching staff responded that these chores were part of a long-established tradition and could not be eliminated immediately, though they would attempt to make gradual improvements.
An’s family also requested that players be provided with individual rooms during competitions. An pointed out that the lifestyles of young players and veterans differ significantly, and having to adapt to living with seniors caused additional discomfort.
Other requests from An’s side included creating a dedicated recovery area outside the team’s headquarters, improving player-coach relationships, and upgrading the athletes’ flight tickets to better seating. However, only two of these requests were eventually met.
An is the reigning world champion in women’s singles badminton, the 2022 Asian Games champion, and the recent gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her victory marks only the second time a Korean player has won Olympic gold in badminton singles, the first being Bang Soo-hyun at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
According to the Korea Times, the conflict between An and the BKA extends to financial matters as well. The association is exclusively sponsored by a particular brand, which requires the use of branded gear and images. However, An wanted to wear sports shoes from her personal sponsor, which BKA rejected due to potential conflicts of interest with the federation’s sponsor. The BKA’s rules do allow athletes to sign individual sponsorship deals, but under very strict conditions.
These ongoing conflicts led to An expressing frustration even after winning the gold medal in Paris, hinting at a possible early retirement from the national team at the age of 22. The situation has drawn the attention of the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which may extend its investigation into other sports federations beyond just badminton.
