ASY vs BKA; Controversy Continues - Denmark Open Super 750 (Beckman's Breakdown Special)

[@sujaynis3905]

ASY's achievements in 3 years alone outweigh Korea's entire badminton history 😂 Her going independent and becoming even more successful would be a big middle finger to BKA

[@MCY112]

Entire badminton history I disagree with, but women’s singles history yes definitely 😅

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Even that...Bang Soo Hyun did some impressive things including back to back Olympic finals. But yes, ASY has achieved so much!

[@KeithHiew]

Park Joo Bong and Kim Moon Soo did some amazing stuff too.

[@yizhu5199]

If ASY goes independent, she will be even more motivated to achieve something greater just to shovel it to BKAs face. 😂

[@loanne95]

everyone should watch this space. we do not know what BKA will do.

[@RaySmondHAWN]

Very well summarized video! Thank you for making this, and please continue in reporting about ASY’s battle with BKA. The fans all love her so much, we just want the best for her. ASY was allowed to wear another shoe brand this time around, so that’s a small win for her!

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yes that was. There was a huge thing about her shoes in the investigation. The guy investigating got incredibly heated about it, so no wonder she was allowed to wear shoes for her

[@nikitakolobov5137]

Hope she can go independent, if not in Korea then in another country. BKA will not change they are to conservative and resistive, and narrow sighed. All the best to ASY!!!

[@nedcpa]

She needs to get her knee fixed, go independent, and then make serious money. I attended both the semi-finals and finals in Odense, where the tension between ASY and her coaches was noticable.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Amen 🙏🏻

[@ANJind30]

This completely, fully breaks my heart. What a game, what a star. It will be such a shame if ASY retires, she has so many years still left in her. We as fans will miss out on so much I can guarantee. I cannot even imagine the mental trauma she is going through. Whatever the outcome, I hope that the conditions improve in the BKA and the next generation of players won’t face the same fate as ASY, SJH(during her playing days) and all the other professional players did.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

🙌🏻

[@짤짤이여대생-n2k]

오늘 오전..안세영이 원했던 모든것들이 해결되었습니다 협회를 상대로 안세영이 승리했어요 감사합니다 그리고 배드민턴 회장은 해임 될거에요..

[@raygan777able]

I hope ASY will be able and continue to still succeed without the BKA. I watch a lot of Korean drama and their stories are almost all the time around the powerful and rich bullying the juniors or the less rich. Looking at ASY situation, I can't help but start to believe that whatever the drama depicts are not far from the truth.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yeah me too, I love Korean dramas. What they depict is clearly close to home

[@kelvinyong8847]

Awesome coverage, Ben. Really hope the situation would be amicably resolved soon. ASY is such a remarkable talent. Amazing personality and attitude too with how she showed love and compassion towards Gregoria at DO recently.

[@yuliankhoo9295]

So brave of her to speak out. She should leave and go independent. Her mental health is more important

[@divwyanshu]

In my opinion, ASY expected the female coach to be at her side but she must have turned her back against her.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

She did, I explained as such in the video

[@littleman787]

Pure cope, wtf? Show a clip from previous where she does the same and turns her back??? Deluded cope

[@littleman787]

Huh?

[@sarahchristopher]

The coach sucks big time

[@MCY112]

Damnn spur of the moment asking a reporter/former player in the interview area to coach her is wild 😂

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I know right, absolutely mental!

[@robertprice2911]

Fantastic video Ben. I’ve seen a few player and federation wobbles over the year (normally when a player goes independent) but this one feels different. Specifically that with her injury they are putting her at great risk of being out permanently if it doesn’t heal properly. From the outside it looks like the federation might be putting their own ambition of a having world and Olympic champion over the player’s longevity. Respect to An Se Young for taking them on.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yeah, this one does feel different and it feels like a story that goes far beyond ASY and badminton.

[@djstr0b3]

If she couldn't find a resolution, I think she should apply for citizenship in a different country (or countries should be offering her citizenship with benefits). She's too good to retire at this age; too much of a unique asset for badminton. F* toxic bureaucracy! Good luck ASY!

[@evangellydonut]

Los Angeles is the 2nd biggest korean city in the world... lol I'm sure OCBC would love to have her

[@djstr0b3]

@@evangellydonut my selfish wish is that she becomes an Australian citizen. But I really hope thigs get resolved with the bureaucrats in Korea and she'll be able to play freely.

[@pcstar123]

The KBA is not going to change anytime soon, it's the culture that permeates everywhere in the society. But I doubt ASY could go play for another country, she has the support of the public in Korea, but the moment she did she'll be slammed as "traitor", then she'll be completely alone in the Korean society! More likely she'll become an independent but still playing for Korea.

[@ABHISHEK-by8re]

An Se Young is such an exceptional player .I just hope this player gets better in each and every aspect 🙏 I would like to see her in next tournament.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Me too

[@elvis9812]

Great work as usual Ben 👏

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Thank you, glad u liked it 🙂

[@januartjandra2830]

Aaaand ASY was way more friendly towards Tunjung’s coach (and shook his hand) during their match when Tunjung retired because of her injury

[@dennypfa8480]

Best wishes for ASY from Indonesia ❤

[@lauralee1961]

The way she ignored his coach during half-time made me wonder if the coach was in on the bullying🤔.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

That is a possibility but if that was the case I don't think we'd have seen them act the way they did before ASY's injury. Before then they seemed so close

[@lauralee1961]

@@BenBeckmanBadminton Yes they were very close before ASY opened her mouth and revealed everything. The difference was very obvious, from the beginning of the game until the end ASY never once looked at the coach and I noticed the coach was quite unhappy about it and always looked away when the camera was on.

[@pcstar123]

Maybe not bullying but simply not supporting her even in private. But the coach can't even afford to show any support in this culture if she's going to survive in this association. It's like your best friend is having a feud with the emperor, and you can't do anything to help or you will be prosecuted too. The packing order rules!

[@thouse-ig5uh]

@@BenBeckmanBadmintonthe coach has a career at kba, if she goes against those above her she won’t have a job, and she needs to look out for herself. Very likely her management is judging her loyalty through her attitude towards asy. It’s a common situation in business. If you don’t toe the line you get fired or held back. Her coach doesn’t have have enough power in the org to treat asy well even if she wanted to, I wouldn’t be surprised if she is on asy side. I would wait to hear more before judging a coach that seemed to have such a good relationship with asy. The blame lies solely with the people that have power in kba. They’re pulling all the strings. Name and shame them I say.

[@bharathv03]

i dont think asy is the type of player to just retire at this stage, but yea it will be interesting if they dont allow her to go independent. also i think she is a smart enough player to survive some time without a coach if you get me, and the time out with the surgery and recovery will probably give her time to think of future plans hope she finds a solution to all of this soon though

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I think so too but I can't see her staying at the BKA after all this. She's won it all and might just think that's it

[@bharathv03]

Yea maybe I don’t see her staying at the BKA either, and it will be interesting if they don’t allow her to go independent (they have some age rules and stuff no?) But yea if she can and does eventually go independent, I think she will just be going for breaking all sorts of records

[@sucibustamam7335]

i sincerely wish the best for ASY. In Denmark Open semifinal, it is really a contrast seeing her interaction with her coach comparing with Tunjung's interaction with her coach. I think ASY must have a big mental pressure at this moment and I hope she doesn't break under this pressure.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yeah that contrast was crazy. Made me a little sad

[@ipadpro8527]

This is so sad, I feel terrible for her.. 😢

[@yjp4401]

I'm concerned that ASY is going to alienate those who would work with her to change the BKA for the better by sticking to her guns so hard. I fully support her speaking out especially with how rough Korean society can be on the individual that stands out (insert "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" analogy here) but at a certain point she'll need to understand that she's got the public's support on her side and work towards negotiation and reconciliation before the BKA can spin the scenario against her and say she's being obstructive and unwilling to work with them Public image is huge in Korea and she needs to take control of the next step of the narrative otherwise it'll be easy for those in charge to paint her as a diva and a prima donna. She's currently riding the high that comes with her success and needs to understand that the power structures already in place won't allow for a revolution, so instead she needs to work towards evolution

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yes, this is definitely something that ASY needs to consider. She has a lot of support, and it'll be hard for the BKA to spin the accusations, but they could do that, using the Denmark Open behaviour as a way in. I'm definitely keeping my eyes on how this unfolds

[@yjp4401]

@@BenBeckmanBadminton The longer her behaviour drags out with no progress behind the scenes towards better treatment of players, the stronger the case that BKA can make that it's ASY being difficult and not willing to negotiate. The other case BKA will make is that her success is due to their coaching regime - would she be as successful under a different style (i.e. natural talent) or is she a product of the structure in place already that she is now rebelling against? I think one major thing to keep an eye on is how former and current Korean players react (or not) to how this all unfolds, though I suspect there will be non-answers from all of them about this to "save face"...

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

@yjp4401 agree. I did find an hour long news story into all of this and there were interviews with former players and coaches. I couldn't understand it so can't comment but some had their faces blurred and it seemed the overall tone was against the BKA

[@stephhoule1960]

thank you ben! really well informative. i am devastated to hear this all and my heart goes out to her. i sincerely hope things will turn out great for ASY. she seems so sparkly and genuine, you’ve got to love the woman.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I wholeheartedly agree. And you're welcome, thanks for watching Steph

[@roco邓士载]

Nice video. I can use it to learn English In addition, thank you for mentioning the channel called tib

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Haha, nice! And of course, great channel with a great guy behind it

[@vikramgov1]

Thanks for breaking this down, Ben. Unfortunate situation for An, badminton fans and the game in general. How many young Korean kids would want to take up badminton after this revelation?

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

An interesting question. I have heard today there have been a number of big changes within the Korean Badminton Association. It seems the government aren't messing about

[@namrataarvind374]

Wow amazing video. You gave so many details that was missing for many viewers who don’t understand Korean or who didn’t have access to those Denmark open interview. It is also very disappointed to know that Sung Jihyun made those remarks. I have always admired her a lot. Specially because Sung Jihyun and Lee kyung won (both women) in 2022 let Korea to its amazing Uber cup win, something that i feel is not talked about enough.

[@LoveBadmintonNZ]

I love this Ben, thanks for making the video and all the things you analyzed. When I saw this starting to unfold, I really hoped for a bit more solid and vocal support from other top players or commentators but there hasn't been a lot so far. I would want to adopt her into my country, personally

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

There were a number of players who commented under her posts, etc but I think as the investigation was underway and ASY stopped commenting about it, other players did the same. I'm sure the latest developments will be met with support and happiness

[@Jimlim35]

Thanks for this video, Ben. Personally I would like to see matters resolved amicably so we can continue to see ASY back in court with her former self and enthusiasm.

[@e7evenJAZ23]

ASY’s criticism on BKA wasn’t a total surprise to those who have some knowledge of the South Korean sports in general. If you know they have already mistreated many of their very talented short track speed skaters, especially leading to two (Ahn Hyun-soo/Viktor An and Lim Hyo-jun) changing nationality in order to continue skating career, then you’ve already seen many episodes of bullying. Regarding how the BKA didn’t give enough attention and proper treatment to ASY’s injury, I’ve read that they had a men’s single player Park Sung-hwan (defeated Lin Dan in 2010 WC) who suffered a wrist injury before London Olympics and received a surgery which ended up being a surgical incident that resulted in his right hand unable to exert force, thus couldn’t play with right hand anymore. I doubt BKA had provided the best medical resource to the player back then.

[@Rtg5155]

Love how cinematic these videos are

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Thanks 😊🙌🏻

[@eah8101]

I heard the injury is to her patella tendon, perhaps a small tear -- a full rupture requires surgery, but a small tear is usually treated non-surgically -- but as you say, there does not appear to be significant improvement, although she had not played on the BWF tour for 2 months -- like I said, I hope she is getting competent medical advice (honestly it does not look like it) -- she seems a nice, rather innocent, perhaps naive person -- all this off court drama is a shame, and then the injury on top of it

[@isaacle5609]

Damn I hope the physical and mental effects of this scandal don't affect her all the way through the end of her career. This would be the second time in recent memory that an overwhelmingly dominant singles player had an abrupt and unfair end to their career (like Momota).

[@jawei2844]

ASY reaching the final of DK open despite being in a below average bad shape physically and mentally. I hope her situation resolves well for her soon..

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

It's impressive

[@ongkimchoon7383]

You do not burn bridges at KBA as well as most other associations. KBA should have managed An better as she has been delivering. Player/Coach squabbles are nothing new. Remember the spat between LCW/Morten? Kevin/HarryIP? and others. Of course, they are not the same, but they all start with a wrong word/s. Sung can't take the side of player without herself also be isolated and likely removed. Hopefully, KBA can set aside pride/seniority and have a one-on-one talk with An to resolve these issues but I know they will not make the first move, unless told to do so by a higher authority.

[@JoshNpublicgplus]

It actually made me want to cry seeing An Se-young asking Camilla Martin for coaching (even if it was a joke). It's awful to see what she's been put through and how the abuse continues to haunt her. I can only hope she's able to physically recover and find a way to compete on her own terms, without being exploited and abused by the BKA or anyone else.

[@rathnapandiyant2292]

ASY will be More than welcomed in Europe and USA

[@mishhmoshh]

This is crazy I wondered why her coach suddenly changed close to the olympics and now she’s got her old coaches back again 🥺

[@tinajsiha]

BRAVE ASY! Wishing her the best and I will definitely cheer for this brave lady in next year's Malaysia Open. If BKA doesn't want to help her anymore... I hope she'll go independent and rise high and mighty leaving BKA struggling to find new great WS.

[@thefallenarm589]

Tough times for ASY, having to manage this s***, her health and the medias at the same time What a pro ! We all wish an happy ending but BKA doesn't seem to make any concessions for now. [ Also, best wishes to Gregoria Mariska 😔]

[@user-rk3ub8ql5d]

Just imagine the faces of her seniors that bullied her in the past saying they r proud that an olympic gold medallist washed their underwear.. what do u feel

[@tiiktiiktiik]

I feel like I’m watching k-drama…

[@panorama4526]

I just read an article in The Korea Times from today. In short it says that ASY´s demands are justified, players can be independent, health care and training will improve, BKA President Kim Taek-gyu will be dismissed, and all officials will be dismissed when they fail to set things right.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yes I've seen the same article. Posted it on my IG. Some huge changes coming in plus an ultimatum for the BKA.

[@mashimaropp]

What a shame for the BKA! Bully is totally unacceptable! All the best to ASY!

[@dawjy9413]

It's not just the Koreans but all of BWF. The system is corrupt and the players are the ones paying for it. The nation representation should all go away besides the Olympics, Thomas, Uber, and Surdiman Cup. It should be more of a league giving players enough rest and recovery time. This would also showcase better combination of playing with players from other countries forming teams kind if like the PBL but better ran.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I'd like to see badminton move away from federation run too. Federation help to develop juniors, etc can be a good thing but they do hold far too much power

[@serenekho7030]

Hi Ben Beckman, I’m wondering if you could do a video on current BDMNTN-XL team tournament happening in Indonesia. I just think it’s so interesting how the teams are mixed up. I’m curious what your thoughts are on the various pairings. Did you learn anything new about the players as they team up with players who they would usually play against? Which pairs did you think worked the best together? What do you think about the 3V3 games? Could that be a thing??? Sorry for all the question, I would just love to hear your thoughts on it!!

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Oh...you're in luck...such a video is on its way

[@serenekho7030]

@ AMAZING

[@solvenet]

Thanks for the video. 1:56 that body language says it all - I'm not ok. The authorities, ASY, her coach and bff turned foe, all mashed up. Sometimes, a comment can trigger chain of events, end up - you spite me i spite you back. Playing alone, w/o the coach - that happened to a Singapore men's table tennis player in the past. He lost in straight sets very quickly. Playing for another country is not likely to happen because she isn't just a player with potential, she's the world's best. Loh Kean Yew, Malaysia borned, was not famous yet when he joined Singapore squad at a young age. Best in the world player in a certain country can get away roughing up a coach - that's how important and precious the player is , to the country, you know who I mean.

[@alexanderloi5194]

It's pretty sad, at first I was upset that an se young was not being a professional by not listening to her coach. But once the coaches did the same to her, it was a very bad response proving they are more childish than her.

[@dnull]

loved the video but please consider improving the microphone quality, sometimes the long "s"-ses appear a bit sharp to the ear

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

👍🏻😊

[@sadisadi2075]

This will be a bigtime fall to ASY career if not managed well 😢

[@AJBtheSuede]

I feel sad for AnSY, both her previous situation and her position right now. But if the allegations of bullying misbehavior in the national organization is true (and I would think they are), going independent or changing citizenship might help her find a better situation for herself. Both for An as a person, and as a very elite badminton player. But other young females going into the BKA would (will?) receive the same mistreatment in the future - unless something more comes out of this. AnSY shouldn't be analyzed or asked what changes she needs to make. BKA should.

[@SolomonClarkeFitness80]

The Japan Masters was certainly interesting. Another tournament where there is a lot to break down!

[@jitendrabhadane2720]

to be honest, the bullying culture in korea is really bad. but im really surprised that they did this to THE STAR of thier team,i wonder who would be those male players who bullied her and forced her to WASH THIER UNDERGARMENTS....I hope asy can go independent because this will only make her mental condition worse. From what i know , she is in good terms and supported by her club samsung life , so i hope she can go pro with them and also forming her own team since she is now an OG CHAMPION.

[@panorama4526]

It is a real shame how ASY is treated in Korea. No player should have to endure this, World Champion or No. 300 in the rankings. It shows how remarkable ASY is, to become so successful with these enemies in her own team. They should help an support her, yet they humiliate her. Let‘s not forget how young ASY still is. The people around her fail her in every aspect. Shame on them… The biggest disappointment is her coach Sun. I saw the same videos you refer to, and they seemed to work together very well. It seems Sun is part of the system that is humiliating young players in the Korean team. I had never thought of something like that. I had noticed that Sun was not coaching ASY anymore, but a coach from Indonesia, who also worked with her in Paris. I had no idea why, but it always felt kind of weird. Well… The Koreans should be happy and proud to have such a great talented player, who is also a very nice person as well. And they damage her image in public, and humiliate her in private. What a bunch of massive idiots. I wish ASY all the best, she loves the sport and she is remarkable, and not only as a badminton player.

[@SirChocula]

Poor ASY. Keep your head up, the entire badminton world loves you!!!

[@KeithHiew]

Third option: go to Singapore, get a PR, and play for them 😂

[@nguyenjc6383]

Brave girl !!!

[@theresia3571]

Changing a deeply rooted culture is not an easy work. ASY cannot do this alone, more players need to speak up.

[@짤짤이여대생-n2k]

오늘 오전...모두 안세영이 원하는대로 해결되었습니다.. 협회를 상대로 안세영이 승리했어요

[@theresia3571]

@ I’ve read the latest news. It’s good that the sport ministry is actually very progressive 👍

[@signeaarejrgensen61]

Sung is a product of the same system. She often played even if she was injured. I think it shortened her career, that she was made to play when she wasn't ok. She may want to support An, but that would mean loosing her job and standing at KBA.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

She may do, although I'm not sure things would have got this bad. There would have been secret talks or something between the two. I agree she is also a part of the system, the same system that's been in place for decades now

[@uii43455]

@@BenBeckmanBadmintondo you know Lee Yeong Dae?Who won gold and is a superstar in Korea?Including him and no single badminton player is raising their voice for ASY. Not a single player. I guess they are all just so scared of BKA and worried that they might not have an opportunity to make money or take opportunities. What a shame..

[@slevingaius]

Kind of foreshadowing her future when she face Intanon... Intanon too was once on top of the world before TZY showed up. After undergoing surgery Intanon was never the same, still have flashes of brillance. As for ASY ongoing war against BKA, I dont expect much to change. Its a KR thing when looking at other scandals, to the elites its about face, seniority, culture etc. ASY probably go independent but her avenue to complete at tournaments will be very limited shes not gonna get the LZJ treatment. As for her relationship with her coach, the part that was left out was that her coach was from a "badminton linage", she probably got special treatment and now that ASY has gone "rogue" the screws are tightening on her as well. Just like with BAM players speaking out its a nightmare when coaches are in the line of fire because of the chaos.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Huge changes were announced yesterday. Massive ones!

[@AUNTHIAM]

1 of her ex coach, Wong Tat Meng may have the answer, which may be 1 of the reason why he left the KBA.

[@Aimanamir34]

pooorr ASY, STAY STRONGGG ASY!!!

[@tiiktiiktiik]

ASY, if you hv resource for being independent, pls do so…

[@thomashamilton564]

Great video. In the Olympics she deserved to take credit away from the other players. Everyone else played dreadfully. The XD silver medal was a farce.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I'm not sure I'd agree with you there. Even ASY acknowledged this. But thanks, glad u liked the video

[@thomashamilton564]

@@BenBeckmanBadminton that's because you're both too nice!

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

@thomashamilton564 haha, I think it was also about overshadowing all Korean Olympians too.

[@DemoCope]

11:30 you can see ASY showing contempt in her face, its very likely that's the feeling she has towards the situation. I interpret that expression as she has a negative and maybe hate towards the whole situation.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Yeah I can see that. It's probably all she's been asked about for 2 months straight, directly and indirectly.

[@LoveBadmintonNZ]

I am sure NZ would gladly adopt An Se Young if she ever needs a quiet place to live. We already have Lydia Ko. Of course, there's not much badminton here..

[@KomsonP]

I wish An S Y enjoy her life a lot more.

[@JR-1983]

She should go independent

[@eah8101]

As if she does not have enough problems off the court, ASY also does not look fit -- at this level, badminton is extremely demanding physically -- and to me she is just not moving confidently -- it looks like she is still hindered by her injury, perhaps also psychologically (which would be understandable) -- I hope she is getting good medical advice

[@1998dsp]

Saddening to see badminton growing under whimsical circumstances- atleast they could have spared ASY .. her knee has been strapped since ages and still at the same poor condition .. proves how inconsiderate KBA is regarding their players

[@heavenonearth4628]

She dives 1000 times in a match so it's not easy to treat that knee bro

[@1998dsp]

@@heavenonearth4628 I get that , but post Olympics was the best time when she took a break from bwf tournaments ..KBA should have kept its ego aside and treatment should have been done as of now

[@Jeoplett]

Why this idea going independent? Why not to do it from the very childhood? And now when it's time to payback to the Federation that grew you up, just go away? A grown-up attitude, sure. Problems are everywhere I hope everything will be resolved inside BAK and she will be able to make BAK a better place for every player and not just run away to a seemingly better life.

[@abby7789]

I dont understand why they cant let their players go independent like... seriously.. i mean if they love their players that much they should provided things that should be provided. I cant begin to imagine how much % they took from players who won any titles in bwf tour

[@rahulshrama94]

Go and play for Singapore 🇸🇬 🙏🙏😷🙉🙈 asy

[@tanzabadmintonacademy]

FIGHT ANSEYOUNG!

[@QianLe-uz1gl]

Hopefully, she will not be the second Kento Momota, an awesome player slowing losing interest in this sport because of a tragic accident

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I wouldn't say Momota lost interest, more he knew he just couldn't compete at the highest level. Either way, to lose another great player to these sorts of situations would be tragic

[@ilikeyousomuchyoullknowit]

Stand with ASY! !

[@pauldodd2120]

ASY is entered for the Kumamoto masters, I hope that she schedules surgery instead, and pulls out.

[@Mulknwan]

I’ve a couple of suggestions, first and foremost seek out the surgeons that operated on Marin to fix that knee, they did wonders in prolonging her career, secondly if going Indy is not feasible then switch nationality, there might red tape like taking up residency to said country for a length of time before application etc and BKA making it difficult but she’s off recuperating anyway, might as well look at avenues during her time off, my humble opinion of course. 😅

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I did think of her changing nationality but I didn't think she'd go that far. Plus I do believe that could alienate her from Korean people. I could be completely wrong. Either way, I hope she gets the resolution she wants and refinds happiness 😊

[@hey-x5w5p]

@@BenBeckmanBadminton yes that would make her a public villain...we asians take pride in our nationality

[@Mulknwan]

@@BenBeckmanBadmintonYeah, changing nationality is the last resort, but if she does i see Taiwan or Japan as a perfect fit but it’s not that simple, best solution is resolve her differences with the association (difficult in the current climate) or going Indy, one thing for sure I don’t want to see her retire, too much of a loss to the woman’s game, what she has achieved so far is sensational despite carrying her injury, oh thanks for this great blog Ben. 👍🏻

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

@Mulknwan yeah I definitely don't want to see her retire. Personally, if she was to change nationality I'd go for a European country. Much more accommodating to this situation. And thank you, glad you liked it 😊

[@Mulknwan]

@@BenBeckmanBadminton My thinking of switching to the two countries I mentioned is the culture is similar to her background, not too far from her country of birth, of the two I would like to see her go with Taiwan, I’d love to see her work with TZY and maybe seek out the services of physio Victoria Guo who looks after Chou Tien Chen, that would a some team.

[@eazymepeazyme3907]

Is there any pro clubs she can join in Korea? In Malaysia, we had the same kind of issues too, but mostly it is handled between the pro representative (club) against BAM (The national assoc). Of course the national association do hold a lot of power, esp. involving competitions between nations like the Olympics. But at least, the athlete are able to make a lot of decisions on their own, esp. on training & sponsorships. The downside is of course, less help from the government, essentially became the stepchild of the authorities.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

I believe they do have a club system. At the National Sports Festival she represented her club (Samsung Life Insurance). Maybe that's an option but who knows

[@rb-ex]

we're supposed to believe that requiring a junior member of the KBA to do laundry duty is oppressive, and we're supposed to be outraged if that laundry included (gasp) men's underwear. asy should be thanking KBA for the incredible and highly coveted opportunities offered to her. instead of using the work she was required to do as a condition of receiving those opportunities to build character in herself, she chose to get angry and go 'me-too' on KBA. KBA, please cut this ungrateful, entitled, prima donna. she's toxic. and no number of wins on the court will ever make up for the loser she is off the court

[@yeapsoon3115]

💋 Come to Malaysia. 🇲🇾

[@mastermindnusantara2287]

Saya syorkan An Se Young berpindah ke negara Malaysia. Sekarang Korea Selatan mahu berperang dengan Korea Utara dan China mahu menyerang Taiwan. Ada banyak buah Durian Musang king di pasar dan ladang.😅❤

[@qiusyah]

ASY has the potential to be the longest world No. 1 in badminton history. I hope everything will be in favour of her. She is too good to retire at young age. Regards from Malaysia.

[@sebve9399]

could you pause once in a while? it's just sentence after sentence after sentence after sentence after sentence after sentence after ...

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

No...I shall never stop...ever...not for anyone...especially not you... But yeah, noted, thanks 👍🏻

[@nestriyuniardi2975]

Merapat ke cipayung seyoung-ah...

[@thecowegg]

Play for another country, which means denouncing her nationality. That would put a full stop to everything but then again what about her family is another thing she needs to consider. Sad truth about capitalism not aligning with the new generation. It has to end and ASY was brave enough to state her ground but now is a matter of how many will walk with her on this journey or will she walk alone 😢.

[@pauldodd2120]

Nothing to do with capitalism, but older association officials not supporting athletes but their own interests. Not unique to Korea or badminton.

[@uii43455]

@@pauldodd2120this is worse than capitalism. At least, there are some kind of rules in capitalism countries. BKA has been changing policies so often, however they want for their interest.

[@laisktibu]

Though ANY's situation was somewhat surprising, the situation itself was not. I once commented about the Korean National team's mental health, and winning mentality, and was already on course with some of the problems in that association. That's why over time, I really hope you get to other Korean players, and pairs, too. There are amazing players who for one or another reason didn't get to shine as they had the potential to. And there are stories behind all of them. I have no doubt that other Nations have them too, but I'm not well versed with them, at least not as much as with Korean players. Even though there is a lot I like about Korean culture, there are many drawbacks to the hierarchical structure and the senior-junior relationships, which definitely don't only occur in sports. As a European, I see Western and Eastern culture's good and bad sides, maybe a little too one-sided, but my fascination with Asian culture has given me some insight. Though yeah, there is a lot I wouldn't tolerate as a person. As for An Se Young, I truly hope there is a solution to this situation. Not sure about the individual career, as Asian mentality does not tolerate individualism very well, her success rate would be better if there were a solution to the situation with BKA. The Korean nation's mentality of unity in both good and bad is often the only thing that matters and this mentality isn't going to change any time soon. But I do understand her problem with the hierarchy, she is young and was born into an age where the individual is more important, the abus* that has occurred is probably so normal for older players in the national team, other athletes in the country, in any sector actually, that they took it - probably still take it as normal practice. Her coach is probably a good example of this. Sung Ji Hyun was born during a relatively turbulent time in Korea, the history lesson won't start here :D I'm no history buff, but still, SJH was born when the individual mindset was very low, so she was probably very well-versed with the mindset of unity overall. Which in a cruel way is 'tolerate all for the nation/people'. But even though I think that's rather accurate, I think they had deep feelings, real feelings for each other, and for me... the coaches seemed not only tense and under pressure, their not blind to the cameras... But SJH especially seemed hurt. With experience, anger towards someone won't appear without there being affection, taken they have pretty close teacher/friend relationship since not too long ago. Is that anger and feeling of betrayal from being also accused or being associated as one of the national team coaches, or something else... there is also the fact that she is not a senior coach herself, and if I guess right, she is also under tremendous pressure from higher-ups, other coaches, etc. So the story is too complicated to discuss it in the comment section, and just a snippet about all being unfair or something like that felt pointless to me... I just think there is a lot to understand and the future is definitely not going to be easy for ASY. But I hope for the best!

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a lengthy and insightful comment. I'd love to hear more of these stories, maybe I can bring some of them to light in another video. There's certainly a lot of context behind all of this, a lot of backstory. Something I don't think I could do justice in this video for multiple reasons, one being I don't know enough. Thank you again, the story behind Korean Badminton is certainly an interesting one to say the least

[@leehamssy]

A few months ago, ASY unfollowed SJH on Instagram. I think ASY must have been hurt a lot by SJH.

[@uii43455]

Seong Ji Hyun’s husband a professional players in Korean did an interview regarding issue. He was on BKA‘s side. All TRASH

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

That's a shame to hear,

[@heidi-2023]

I like her very much, Support and respect ASY' courage. I don't think her coach went through the same situation of ASY because her father was the head coach of BKA. probably, ASY is very disappointed of her coach as a woman who does not support her. it is very difficult to go independent in the Korean society. I wish she could immigrant to another country to continue her badminton career. On the other hand, I think even if she chooses to retire in Korea, she will face more difficulties in finding a job there etc.

[@watchman835]

She will join Denmark. 🇩🇰

[@jackreacher3499]

Great video, and top notch analysis! Imho, ASY didn't manage that whole problem well, as she is a bit inexperienced in politics. If she voiced she was grateful to her coach previously (did she? I haven't checked), the fallout would have been less disastrous. And coach snubbing isn't exactly nice too. Instead it was as if the BKA is very bad in everything. I don't blame her for this, maybe she doesn't have friends who would know better, and real life politics isn't something that is learned in school. I don't ascribe to eye for an eye , as there are other graceful ways to deal with problems. Better ways? That's a matter of opinion though. All in all, I think too she will go independant, like other greats ( my favorite being Lee Hyun Il ).

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

That's a good way of putting it. Lee Hyun Il was only independent after the age restrictions had passed. Also, Korean team begged him back a few times for team comps, especially the 2014 Asian Games team event where he helped them win

[@peterhaslund]

Jeez I sincerely hope Lanier is not the "future of Europe"

[@freemanol]

Korean's asian culture is quite extreme. Even in other asian cultures, it would be a very big embarrassment for the coach to be criticised publically by a young player. I don't expect the KBA to back down, to do that would tear down the whole hierarchy. I understand that that hierarchy is rotten, but any solution would need to allow these seniors to back down with their "dignity" intact. Hard to see with the current situation. It's very unfortunate for her

[@Alex_FlagWars]

first..

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

🙂🙌🏻

[@thirunagutamilselvam2051]

what is her achievements, mind boggling, 19 to 21 years - what not she won? golden girl, rhytham of badminton , voice of shuttles, queen of court dancing, why this BKA is ruthless ? instead of pampering her , instead of kissing her racquets, instead of making her as the korean badminton queen , why all these tortures and breaking her mentral strength, in badminton if once disturbed, it becomes very difficult to secure the old spots, so the BKA must understand , a grown country and spending for her or protecting her for the voice of Korea should be easy and flaunt less , she is my goddess of badminton , she has replied to all as the swords crossing like badminton skills, what a player, i have seen all her matches and adopting her as my dauughter and i wish to serve her as the coach and strongest father like to her

[@Angel_Drug]

can you analyze the other finals.

[@BenBeckmanBadminton]

Maybe

[@jasongrimshaw6250]

Excellent summary of this on-going saga. ASY on her instagram page also thank Camilla Martin for her support, so suspect she didn't mind being asked those difficult questions. Where does she go from here? most likely have surgery as doesn't appear to be going away. After that will depend probably on solely her state of mind and whether she can ever trust BKA again. In my opinion probably not.

[@nikitakolobov5137]

Hope she can go independent, if not in Korea then in another country. BKA will not change they are to conservative and resistive, and narrow sighed. All the best to ASY!!!