South Korea's women's badminton champion at the Paris Olympics criticizes the association: Is there a reason for only one gold medal in the event?

South Korean badminton player AN SE YOUNG, who won the gold medal in the women's singles at the Paris Olympics, caused a stir when she sharply criticized the Korea Badminton Association's player management system in a post-match interview.
Ahn won the gold medal for Korea in the women's singles badminton event at the Olympics for the first time in 28 years. The joy in Korea was short-lived, however, as she said, "I set a goal and made my dream come true."
"Until then, my driving force was anger. I wanted to speak out. In a way, my dream was to have a voice," she confessed. What on earth happened?
Ahn is a 22-year-old former member from Gwangju in the southwest. He has been active since his teens and is in his 20s.
In 2017, she was selected as a representative for South Korea when she was still a third-year junior high school student, and attracted attention. At last year's World Championships, she became the first South Korean to win the women's singles title.
Gu was ranked number one in singles and had been attracting attention even before the Paris Olympics. Ahn participated in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China last fall. In the singles final, she complained of knee pain but continued playing.
After returning home, he underwent a detailed examination and found that a part of the tendon near his right knee had been torn. After the match, he said, "I heard a popping sound from my knee and felt like something had come off.
"It was painful and I felt like I was in a bad mood," he said. At the time, he was diagnosed with a lack of hope of recovery until the Paris Olympics, but he managed to participate in the Paris Olympics.
She faced Akane Yamaguchi, ranked 6th in the world, and won 2-1. She advanced to the semi-finals when her opponent withdrew midway through the match, and in the final on the 5th she faced He Bing Zhao, ranked 9th in the world, from China. Both were first-time Olympic finalists.
Ahn won the gold medal by defeating Ahn 2-0 (21-13, 21-16). This is South Korea's first gold medal in this event in the Olympics in 28 years since the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Ahn's achievement was met with joy in Korea. However, in an interview after the match, Ahn made a complaint to the Korea Badminton Association. Ahn was in the Asian Games last year.
He confessed for the first time that he had participated in the Olympics without having fully recovered from the injury he sustained in the Olympics. He said that he had not received sufficient support from the association when he injured his knee, and that "the trainer helped me.
"I've come this far thanks to their support. I was very disappointed with how the association handled my injury. I can't forget it. I think it might be difficult for me to continue on as a representative."
Ahn added, "The association is leaving the players to their own devices in the name of freedom," and added, "I think Korean badminton can develop further, but we only won one gold medal this time.
"It seems that the time has come to reflect on why we were unable to achieve the gold medal," he said. Instead of expressing his joy at winning the gold medal, he harshly criticized the association's player management system.
"The Korean team's training methods and the association's decision-making were not disclosed," Ahn said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency six hours after his remarks.
After the match, the players made preparations to return home, but on the morning of the 7th,
Kim Tae-kyu, the president of the association, returned to Korea ahead of the tournament. When asked by reporters at Incheon International Airport if there had been any conflict with the athletes before the tournament, Kim said, "The association and the selection committee
"There was no conflict between Ahn and the other players," he said, and added, "We will confirm why (Ahn) made such a statement." The association also summarized its views on Ahn's remarks on 10 A4 sheets of paper.
The press release was distributed. Ahn refuted the statement that the association had ignored his injury. The government also responded to the gold medalist's statement, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
The organization announced that it would continue its investigation, stating that it "plans to look into other sports as well to see whether there are areas in which improvements can be made in player management."
The Korean shooting team won gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, achieving three consecutive victories.
Jin Jeong-oh, a legend in the skating world and currently a member of the ruling People Power Party, commented on Ahn's comments on his social media account. "After winning the gold medal with all his might, I was in a difficult position.
"We take seriously the words of An Se Young, who courageously spoke out about his story. We will not let An's courageous confession go unresolved."
Ahn returned to Korea on the 7th. When asked by reporters at Incheon Airport about the intention of his remarks, he said, "I am not fighting.
"I said this not because of any particular intention, but because I want people to understand that I want to focus solely on my sport. I will provide more details after consulting with those involved."
The gold medalist suddenly made a scathing criticism of the association and raised some issues. We await the results of the investigation into whether the association had a system that puts the athletes first.