The 32nd Korean Badminton Association (hereinafter referred to as the Association) presidential election, which will be held on the 16th of next month, is receiving more attention than ever. In a situation where the association was in crisis due to its lax management practices being revealed, several people submitted their candidacy.
The association was investigated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) for two months starting from mid-August. This is because controversy grew after national team ace Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) won the gold medal in the women’s singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics and criticized the association’s system for player management, development, and treatment.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s investigation revealed that it had been operated under unreasonable regulations. Chairman Kim Taek-gyu (59) is even suspected of violating the subsidy law by unfairly distributing sponsorship items such as shuttlecocks.
The association refuted charges of violating the subsidy law through a press release on November 23, saying, “We applied and executed in compliance with the guidelines of the Korea Sports Council and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and with the approval of higher authorities for the business plan.” However, five days later, the Songpa Police Station conducted a search and seizure of the office. I received it.
Currently, the association is not functioning properly as an operating organization. However, Chairman Kim Taek-gyu recently announced his intention to run in the 32nd election. According to the Articles of Association of the Korea Sports Council, the head of a group may extend his/her term of office only once without review by the Sports Fair Committee.
In January 2021, Chairman Kim Taek-gyu was elected with 104 votes out of 183 valid votes in the 31st election, which was held as a primary for the first time since the association was founded. As a ‘commercial member of the club’, he rose to the position of president of the Seosan City/Chungnam Badminton Association, accumulated administrative experience, and was recognized as a person representing ‘lifestyle sports’. Although the so-called ‘Ahn Se-young incident’ has been in the spotlight every day, it is known that there are many local association and federation presidents who still support him.
The election for the 32nd president of the association is a fierce battle. Olympic gold medalist and legend Kim Dong-moon (49), a professor at Wonkwang University, former businessman Jeon Gyeong-hoon (50), current president of the Korea Business Badminton Federation, and Choi Seung-tak (59), former president of the Daegu Badminton Association, also declared their candidacy.
Professor Kim Dong-moon, a Gyeonggi-do scholar, lamented the situation in which the association was in danger of being designated as a management organization and said, “The current situation is caused by problems intertwined with many complex factors, wrong practices, and a system that does not fit the trend of the times.” He pledged to reorganize regulations to improve player performance and rights, establish a system to provide fair opportunities, operate a communication mechanism between the association and players, achieve mutual growth of elite sports and lifestyle sports, and establish transparent financial operation and accounting management systems.
Chairman Jeon Kyeong-hoon said, “Seeing Ahn Se-young pointing out the problems of the association, I am declaring my candidacy as the 32nd president with the determination to run the association transparently.” He added, “I will donate a total of 2.4 billion won to the association during my four-year term. 600 million won per year. “We will create an association that promotes mutual growth by supporting professional sports and everyday sports,” he emphasized.
Former Chairman Choi Seung-tak said, “I have visited various competitions and other sites, listened directly to the voices of players, coaches, and badminton people from each city and province, and personally felt what is right and what is not.” He added, “The system and vested interests that cannot escape the old practices and framework of the past. “The fruits of the sweat of players and coaches should not be in vain due to the cartel,” he said in his candidacy statement.
Reporter Ahn Hee-soo [email protected]