An Se-young Doesn't Regret Criticism Of The South Korean Badminton Federation

JAKARTA An Se-young insists that he does not regret the scathing criticism he has drawn against the South Korean Badminton Association (BKA) after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 22-year-old badminton player said that he would still convey criticism of BKA's performance regardless of whether he won a gold medal or not in France.

"I don't really regret what I did. I will say those words, whether I win or lose in the Olympic final," he said as quoted by the Korea Times.

Setelah naik podium pertama di Paris, bintang bulu tangkis itu menyampaikan kritik ke BKA, terutama terkait penanganan cedera pada bagian keluarnya yang begitu buruk.

BKA's medical staff at first did not take the injury seriously. As a result, the athlete had to undergo such a long recovery because the handling was not right.

The criticism prompted the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to ask the police to investigate the President of BKA, Kim Taek-gyu, on all these charges.

"Honestly, I didn't expect my words to cause a stir like this," said the badminton player who became the 2023 world champion.

The aftermath of the controversy made An Se-young get a less warm welcome as Olympic champion. He also received a lot of criticism after his comments attracted attention.

An Se-young admitted that his criticism of BKA had plunged him into difficult times. In fact, the goal is that the federation can improve itself in a better direction.

"I was able to stand up again thanks to the help of many people. Right now, I just want to have fun and play well in every game. I want to be a badminton legend," he said.

Thanks to his achievements in France, An Se-young was named the Best Women's Singles Player of BWF for the second year in a row. He received the award at the Gala Dinner BWF World Tour Finals earlier this month.