Ahn Se-young, 22, who criticized the Korean Badminton Association after winning the gold medal in women’s singles in the 2024 Paris Olympics, spoke out. He pointed out that athletes should be able to enjoy fair economic rewards only by exercising.
Ahn Se-young, who was quiet even after returning home, said in an interview with Yonhap News on the 11th, “I think badminton alone can fully enjoy economic rewards, even if it’s not advertising,” adding, “I hope you don’t block sponsors or contracts, but release them a lot.”
Since winning the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October last year, Ahn has refused numerous advertisements and TV offers. She wanted to focus on the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Instead, Ahn said flexible regulations are needed regarding individual sponsorship contracts. “The position is designated as right collar (neck) and the quantity is designated as one,” the Badminton Korea Association’s operating guidelines for the national team says on individual sponsorship contracts. “However, individual sponsorship contracts for the same industry with badminton equipment companies and their sponsors are restricted.”
“If you participate in a comprehensive competition organized and dispatched by the Korean Sports Council, such as the Olympic and Asian Games, during the individual sponsorship contract period, you must comply with the Korean Sports Council’s public relations regulations.” In other words, the moment you become a national representative, there is less room for athletes to receive personal support, and sponsors at the level of the association or the Korean Sports Council will be given priority. 메이저놀이터
Ahn also pointed out the down payment and annual salary cap applied to unemployed badminton players. Ahn, who graduated from Gwangju Sports High School in January 2021 and joined Samsung Life Insurance that year, has achieved unrivaled performances both at home and abroad. Ahn, who received the Rookie of the Year award at the 2019 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Awards as a high school student, won her second consecutive international competition in Indonesia in 2021. She ranked No. 1 in the world by winning major competitions, including becoming the first Korean female player to win a singles gold medal at the 2023 World Championships. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, she became a two-time winner in women’s singles and team events.
However, the prevailing view is that Ahn may not have received a down payment and an annual salary in proportion to his or her performance. This is because the Korea Federation of Business Badminton specifically limits the contract period and down payment and annual salary for rookie players. A high school graduate’s annual salary cannot exceed 50 million won in the first year of joining the team. In addition, he cannot raise his or her annual salary by more than 7 percent until his third year of joining the team. The down payment also cannot exceed 100 million won.
Ahn Se-young said, “It can be motivating for the players, not discrimination,” adding, “I think it’s reverse discrimination if we treat all players the same.”
In response, a badminton official told Yonhap News, “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 the team,” adding, “Since it is a system to protect the market itself, it may not be satisfactory for special players like Ahn Se-young who come out every few decades.”