Ahn Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance), who sparked controversy by making remarks on the management of the national team after winning the gold medal in women’s singles in badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, claimed to release sponsors or contractual support so that athletes can enjoy financial rewards just by exercising. However, the badminton community believes that there is no choice but to maintain the unemployed team due to the nature of the sport, even though they understand Ahn’s position.
In a recent interview with Yonhap News, Ahn Se-young said, “I think (the players) can enjoy enough economic rewards with badminton even if it’s not advertising,” adding, “I hope they don’t block sponsors or contracts, but release a lot.”
“(Economic compensation) can be motivation for players, not discrimination,” he said. “If you treat all players the same, I think it’s reverse discrimination.”
Earlier, Ahn Se-young said at a press conference shortly after winning the gold medal on the 5th, “I was disappointed that the national team was too complacent even though the injury was serious,” adding, “I thought it would be difficult to go with the national team anymore.” Since then, Ahn Se-young has announced that she will reveal her specific position after the Olympics.
What Ahn Se-young pointed out that this time needs to be improved is the current regulations on personal sponsorship of national team players and annual salary and down payment for unemployed players.
The Badminton Korea Association’s guidelines for the operation of the national team state that “use sportswear and game supplies designated by the association when training and participating in competitions as a national team and actively cooperate in public relations upon request from the association.”
In addition, regarding the personal sponsorship contract, it says, “The location is designated as the right collar (neck), and the quantity is designated as one. However, personal sponsorship contracts for badminton equipment companies and sponsors of this association are limited.”
In addition, it is said, “If you participate in a comprehensive competition organized and dispatched by the Korean Sports Council, such as the Olympics and Asian Games, during the individual sponsorship contract period, you must comply with the public relations regulations of the Korean Sports Council.”
This is interpreted as having less room for personal support as soon as a player wears the Taegeuk mark, and on the contrary, it is subordinate to sponsors at the level of the association or the Korean Sports Association.
In response, Ahn Se-young is in the position that flexible regulations are needed considering each player’s situation.
In fact, Ahn reportedly felt uncomfortable with shoes from the sponsor of the national team. Fortunately, the sponsor was able to solve the problem by customizing anti-slip socks.
At the same time, Ahn Se-young also raised the issue of the “down payment and annual salary cap” applied to badminton unemployed players.
Ahn Se-young graduated from Gwangju Sports High School in January 2021 and joined Samsung Life Insurance, and is in her fourth year as a senior player this year. 토토사이트
Since joining the team, Ahn Se-young has achieved unrivaled performances on domestic and international stages, but he is unlikely to have received a down payment and annual salary proportionate to that for at least the first three years.
This is because the “Players’ Contract Management Regulations” of the Korea Business Badminton Federation specifically limits the contract period, down payment and annual salary for rookie players. Various allowances, including prize money, can be received separately from annual salary, but advertising revenue is included in down payment and annual salary.
“The contract period for high school graduates (among rookie players) is seven years. The down payment cannot exceed the maximum of 100 million won for seven years.” “The annual salary for high school graduates cannot exceed 50 million won for the first year of joining the team,” he said. “The annual salary cannot be raised by more than 7 percent per year, and can be set autonomously following negotiations between the club and the players after three years.”
In December 2017, when she was a junior in middle school, Ahn Se-young, who received attention as a “genius girl” by wearing the Taegeuk mark, can feel regret.
However, some in the badminton world say that even though they understand Ahn’s position, there are inevitable aspects due to the nature of unpopular sports.
First of all, the Badminton Association supports not only Ahn Se-young but also all national team players and junior players with cash and supplies received from official sponsors, and if the sponsorship contract is turned to individual players, the amount of support for unpopular players and aspiring players will be greatly reduced.
The same is true of the federations rules. The disadvantage is that salaries and down payment are not proportional to individual players ability to make ends meet. However, maintaining the overall pie has effectively allowed some 300 unemployed players to make ends meet by exercising.
A badminton official said, “If you don’t set a limit on your first three-year salary, there may be too much bubble and unemployed teams may not be able to maintain their squad.”