The discord between badminton queen Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) and the national team coaching staff came to the surface. The president of the Korea Badminton Association said that they did not even greet each other, and the parties who returned home after the international competition also appeared to acknowledge the discord.
Kim Taek-gyu, president of the association, appeared as a witness at the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s audit of the Korea Sports Council held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd and said, “I received a call that I did not say hello to my seniors or coaches even when I went to the Denmark competition this time.” The national team participated in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 Denmark Open held in Odense, Denmark.
Ahn Se-young appeared in an international competition about two months after winning the women’s singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics last August. In the final on the 20th, Ahn Se-young won the silver medal while losing to Wang Ziyi (China).
However, a strange atmosphere was detected between Ahn Se-young and the coaching staff. During a timeout during the game, Ahn Se-young was seen hardly talking to coach Kim Hak-kyun and coach Sung Ji-hyun. Until the Paris Olympics, Ahn Se-young discussed strategies with the coaches. However, in this competition, Ahn Se-young did not focus on the coaches’ instructions or appeared to ignore them.
Malaysian media outlet ‘Stadium Astro’ already pointed out on the 18th, “Ahn Se-young showed an attitude of ignoring the coach’s instructions during the quarterfinals of the Denmark Open women’s singles against Ratchanok Inthanon (Thailand).” Chinese media Sohu.com also reported, “Ahn Se-young returned to the national team, but did not face coach Sung Ji-hyun during a timeout. Ahn Se-young seemed reluctant to respond.”
The national team returned home after the competition that day, and conflict between Ahn Se-young and the coaching staff was detected. Just like when she left the country, Ahn Se-young moved separately from the national team.
Ahn Se-young did not answer reporters’ questions, such as, ‘The president of the association said at the national inspection that Ahn Se-young is not greeting players’ and ‘There is talk that there is a disagreement with the coaches.’ Regarding her thoughts on being the runner-up, Ahn Se-young said only, “I have nothing to say,” and got on her team’s bus.
Regarding the rumors of discord, Director Kim said, “It is still a time when we need to approach and talk,” and “We will be able to resolve it little by little. There is a lot we need to do with each other, so please wait.” In effect, it is an acknowledgment of the conflict.
First of all, the contracts of the current national team coaches are expected to be extended until this year. This is because the association is under investigation by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism following Ahn Se-young’s resolute remarks made during the Paris Olympics, and the president of the association is undergoing a national inspection. This is because the association does not have the capacity to form a new coaching staff. An association official said on this day, “We presented an extension to the coaches and signed a contract today.”
The conflict between Chairman Kim and Ahn Se-young also appears to be at a serious level. At the National Assembly inspection on this day, Chairman Kim responded, “Then I guess I’m the only one who feels that way,” when Rep. Yang Moon-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea relayed Ahn Se-young’s rebuttal to his past statement, “Maybe it’s because Ahn Se-young is a world-class star, but he doesn’t even greet the head of the athletes’ village or the president of the association.”
In response, Rep. Yang asked, “Did you feel good to hear that the president of the association, who is supposed to help players achieve good results, personally sniped and ostracized the star and said he was doing well?” Chairman Kim responded, “What did I ostracize?” I answered back. As lawmakers continued to criticize and demand an apology, Chairman Kim apologized to the lawmakers and Ahn Se-young.
Chairman Kim’s term is scheduled to end this year. Ahn Se-young plans to take a break for about three weeks and then compete in the BWF World Tour Super 500 Japan Masters on the 12th of next month. It is expected that he will not participate in the Korea Masters held in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do.
