An Se-young rebuffs badminton association's request to participate in internal probe

Badminton player An Se-young refused to embrace an investigation by the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) into problems she raised such as staff allegedly mishandling her injury, a BKA official said Tuesday.

Badminton player An Se-young speaks to reporters at Incheon International Airport in Incheon on Aug. 7. [YONHAP]

Badminton player An Se-young refused to embrace an investigation by the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) into problems she raised such as staff allegedly mishandling her injury, a BKA official said Tuesday.

“We asked An to participate in the investigation and suggested some dates like Aug. 20 or 22, but the player declined,” the official told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, on Tuesday.

The incident stems from comments An made against the association on Aug. 5 after she won gold at the Paris Olympics, that her coaching staff did not properly care for an injury she sustained during the Hangzhou Asian Games last year. She also called being unable to compete in the Olympics without doing so through the BKA "heartless."

After the Paris Olympics ended on Aug. 11, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the BKA each opened an investigation into the allegations.

The BKA formed a fact-finding committee to summon An, listen to her opinions and revise systems within the association, but the player did not attend the committee's meeting on Aug. 16.

“The player is skeptical over whether the fact-finding committee would function properly, as the Culture Ministry pointed out problems with the formation of the committee,” a source close to An told the JoongAng Ilbo.

The Culture Ministry said on Aug. 16 that the BKA formed the committee without the required vetting process by the association’s council — citing Article 14, Paragraph 2 of the association's rule book.

Paragraph 1 of the same article states that the association can put together a committee first and be vetted afterward if the matter being investigated is “light and urgent.” But the Culture Ministry criticized the way the committee was formed and said that the matter was far from minor.

An is also reportedly doubtful about whether the BKA probe can properly progress with the current members of the fact-finding committee.

“Among the investigation members, the chairman of the BKA’s human rights committee and an auditor are obviously the ones to deliver the position of the BKA,” the source close to An said. “If they lead the meeting, it is highly likely that they make a conclusion in favor of the BKA.”

Despite refusing to attend the meeting by the BKA, An met with Second Vice Minister of Sports Jang Mi-ran in an unofficial meeting Monday and spoke about the national team’s operations and its preparations for the Olympics.

Jang is a former Olympian, having won three medals — one gold, one silver and one bronze — in weightlifting across three Olympics.

BY SONG JI-HOON [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]