Seoul: The 22-year-old World No. 1 women’s singles player An Se-Young of South Korea, who recently won the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has decided to withdraw from both the Japan Open and the Korea Open, citing injuries, which comes as a surprise, especially since she is skipping the Korea Open which will take place on home soil.
According to Korean media, An Se-Young informed the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) of such a decision through her club team, Samsung Life Insurance that she has no intention of participating in the Super 750 Japan Open starting on the 20th and the Super 500 Korea Open beginning on the 27th, citing knee and ankle injuries as reasons for her withdrawal.
However, following her Olympic victory, An Se-Young has been openly critical of various measures taken by the BKA. She has lashed out against the association for poor management of athletes’ injuries, unequal resource distribution, and a greater focus on doubles players, which has sparked ongoing controversy. The issue has caught the attention of the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which has launched a full-scale investigation into the association.
With An Se-young now withdrawing from these two tournaments due to injury, the question of whether she will continue to represent South Korea in international competitions has become a major topic of discussion.
An Se-Young withdraws from the Japan and Korea Opens. (Photo: Xinhua)
