Olympic badminton star slams her home country in emotional message after winning gold
Topics: Olympics
Yasmeen Hamadeh
Featured Image Credit: Zhao Wenyu/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images / CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images
Topics: Olympics
South Korea's An Se-young had a lot to say about her home country after taking the Olympic gold medal for badminton.
On Monday August 5, Se-young triumphed in the badminton final and won the gold medal for the women's singles tournament, winning over China's He Bingjiao.
Shortly after accepting her medal, the athlete took the opportunity to shed light on a critical situation that's left her 'disappointed' with the Badminton Federation of Korea.
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"I think it may be difficult to continue with the national team after this moment," Se-young said after her win per news.au.com.
She went on to explain that the national federation allegedly neglected her when she suffered from a knee injury last October during the Asian Games.
"I was so disappointed with [the Badminton Federation of Korea] during my injury. I really can't get over those moments," Se-young told reporters.
Following Se-young's comments, South Korea's sports ministry announced its intent to investigate these allegations.
Releasing a statement on Tuesday (August 6), the ministry shared they aim to obtain 'exact facts as soon as the Olympics conclude' and 'review the need for appropriate improvement measures based on the findings'.
The statement also read that it will 'examine whether there are areas for improvement in athlete management across other sports as well.'
Se-young had previously spoken on her injury on Instagram ahead of the Olympics.
Posting a picture of her hand with the phrase 'I can do it' scribbled on it, Se-young wrote (translated from Korean): "After the Asian Games, I was initially told I would need two to six weeks of rehabilitation before returning, but since the pain didn’t decrease, I visited a different clinic after the December Tour Finals."
“The new diagnosis revealed that the partial tear in my patellar tendon would not improve quickly and that I would need to manage the pain and maintain the injury until the Olympics," she added.
The athlete further shared that she was advised to focus on 'adapting to the pain until the Olympics... rather than immediate competition results'.
In an interview with South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Se-young further criticized the current association for having outdated systems of training and not entirely ensuring their athletes' safety.
"My anger has been the fuel that has helped me realize my dream," the gold-medalist told the agency. "I wanted to have my voice heard. In a way, that has been my dream."