Sports ministry to inspect badminton association after Olympian's criticism
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched an investigation into the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) on Monday after badminton player An Se-young criticized the BKA's poor management following her winning performance in the women's singles badminton event at the Paris Olympics.
The sports ministry said an investigation team, comprised of over 10 ministry officials and investigators from the Korea Sport Ethics Center, will inspect the nation's badminton association.
The team will be led by Lee Jung-woo, director-general of the ministry's sports bureau. It aims to announce the results in September.
On Aug. 5, immediately after securing Korea's first Olympic gold in the women's singles badminton event in 28 years, the 22-year-old badminton player criticized the association, saying she had waited until securing the medal to speak up, believing that her achievement would lend more weight to her concerns.
"I was deeply disappointed that the BKA took my knee injury too lightly when it wasn't a minor injury to recover quickly," An told reporters after winning the final in Paris. "I think it might be difficult for me to continue with the national team after this moment."
An also expressed dissatisfaction with the vertical hierarchy between the association and players and also raised concerns about the structure that makes it difficult for individual athletes to secure sponsorships.
The BKA's guidelines for national team operations stipulate that players must "obey" the instructions and orders of coaches. They also require national team players to use designated uniforms and equipment, limiting players' opportunities for receiving personal sponsorships once they become part of the national team.
After her remarks, the association disputed An's claims point by point and also clarified that media reports that it had created a new national team rule targeting An were not true. The BKA received 7.12 billion won ($5.2 million) in support from the sports ministry this year.
The investigation will focus on the supervision of nonprofit organizations overseen by the ministry, specifically examining administrative practices and handling of government subsidies.
Sports Minister Yu In-chon said the government will initiate policy reforms in the sports sector to bring about change.
"Now is the right time to refine and reform sports policies (after achieving good results). If we don't transform now, there's a high chance controversies will continue to occur,” Yu told reporters during a ministry briefing in downtown Seoul, Monday.
The minister added that it will examine and revise sports policies comprehensively, not just in badminton but also in school sports, recreational sports and elite sports.
"The government needs to play a catalytic role. We plan to support each organization to change and transform themselves," Yu said.
The sports ministry said the investigation team will examine the BKA’s fairness of the national team selection process and the efficiency of training and competition support, as well as whether the BKA’s sponsorship contract regulations are balanced between the association and players and whether there are any unreasonable aspects in the players' salary system.
Regarding the launch of the sports ministry's investigation, An also plans to announce her position soon, as her representative said on a CBS radio show, Monday, that she will issue a statement within this week.
The director-general of the sports ministry said that "the fundamental question of this investigation is whether the BKA is fulfilling its role for the players."
He added, "Not just An Se-young, but anyone should be able to speak up their mind. Listening to players' voices is the proper attitude that the ministry and sports organizations should have."
source: The Korea Times
The sports ministry said an investigation team, comprised of over 10 ministry officials and investigators from the Korea Sport Ethics Center, will inspect the nation's badminton association.
The team will be led by Lee Jung-woo, director-general of the ministry's sports bureau. It aims to announce the results in September.
On Aug. 5, immediately after securing Korea's first Olympic gold in the women's singles badminton event in 28 years, the 22-year-old badminton player criticized the association, saying she had waited until securing the medal to speak up, believing that her achievement would lend more weight to her concerns.
"I was deeply disappointed that the BKA took my knee injury too lightly when it wasn't a minor injury to recover quickly," An told reporters after winning the final in Paris. "I think it might be difficult for me to continue with the national team after this moment."
An also expressed dissatisfaction with the vertical hierarchy between the association and players and also raised concerns about the structure that makes it difficult for individual athletes to secure sponsorships.
The BKA's guidelines for national team operations stipulate that players must "obey" the instructions and orders of coaches. They also require national team players to use designated uniforms and equipment, limiting players' opportunities for receiving personal sponsorships once they become part of the national team.
After her remarks, the association disputed An's claims point by point and also clarified that media reports that it had created a new national team rule targeting An were not true. The BKA received 7.12 billion won ($5.2 million) in support from the sports ministry this year.
The investigation will focus on the supervision of nonprofit organizations overseen by the ministry, specifically examining administrative practices and handling of government subsidies.
Sports Minister Yu In-chon said the government will initiate policy reforms in the sports sector to bring about change.
"Now is the right time to refine and reform sports policies (after achieving good results). If we don't transform now, there's a high chance controversies will continue to occur,” Yu told reporters during a ministry briefing in downtown Seoul, Monday.
The minister added that it will examine and revise sports policies comprehensively, not just in badminton but also in school sports, recreational sports and elite sports.
"The government needs to play a catalytic role. We plan to support each organization to change and transform themselves," Yu said.
The sports ministry said the investigation team will examine the BKA’s fairness of the national team selection process and the efficiency of training and competition support, as well as whether the BKA’s sponsorship contract regulations are balanced between the association and players and whether there are any unreasonable aspects in the players' salary system.
Regarding the launch of the sports ministry's investigation, An also plans to announce her position soon, as her representative said on a CBS radio show, Monday, that she will issue a statement within this week.
The director-general of the sports ministry said that "the fundamental question of this investigation is whether the BKA is fulfilling its role for the players."
He added, "Not just An Se-young, but anyone should be able to speak up their mind. Listening to players' voices is the proper attitude that the ministry and sports organizations should have."
source: The Korea Times