Ahn Se-young, who has expressed her intention to no longer be with the national team and the Korean Badminton Association, cannot compete in international competitions without the association unless at least five years have passed.
If the conflict between Ahn Se-young and the Badminton Korea Association is not resolved, we cannot help but think about the worst.
Ahn Se-young won the gold medal in the women's singles final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning 2-0 (21-13 21-16) against He Bing Zhao (China) at 5:55 p.m. on the 5th (Korea time).
Rather than winning the gold medal, Ahn's subsequent remarks drew much more attention. "I can no longer join the national team," Ahn said, expressing discontent with the Badminton Korea Association, which treats athletes unreasonably. She even expressed her desire to leave the national team and play badminton as an individual.
Ahn Se-young reportedly complained that trainer Han Soo-jung, who helped him recover from his knee injury several times, was unable to come to the Olympics with the association in June due to the expiration of his contract with the association and discrimination against players who only play singles without playing doubles.
Regulations of the Badminton Korea Association. People aged 27 or older can participate in international competitions in their individual capacity. It is a long time ago for Ahn, who is 22.
If the dispute between the association and Ahn continues to stubbornly deny that she will not be with the current national team and the association as she claims, Ahn cannot stand on the international stage as the "Korean representative" in a cold and realistic manner. She can stage a legal battle, but she has not been able to stand on the international stage. Olympic gold medalists who are unable to stand on the international stage will inevitably see their competitiveness weaken.
If this situation continues, the option of "naturalization" in the worst case scenario will also be considered. It is not that there have been cases like this. There have already been cases in which Ahn Hyun-soo and Lim Hyo-joon of short track were naturalized to Russia or China due to associations and personal issues. After losing the Olympic gold medalist, Korea failed to win a gold medal at the Olympics and lost the gold medal to them.
The first badminton singles gold medalist in 28 years since Su. You may lose a historic player to the association.