South Korean badminton has been engulfed in controversy. Choi Sol-gyu, a silver medalist in the men's doubles at the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG), has been in conflict with the national badminton team and the Korea Badminton Association.

It all started in July during the Korea Open in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, when Choi disrupted a team training session after drinking alcohol. It was also discovered that he had invited his girlfriend to stay at the team's accommodation.

The national team reported the incident to the federation, which deemed it unfit for national behavior. "We received the report and interviewed the player. The player admitted his wrongdoing. However, the discipline was decided after the AG. The player had already entered the roster and was willing to do his best if given a last chance. It was a kind of consideration," he explained.

Three months later, in October, the Performance Enhancement Committee tried to punish him with a two-year ban from the national team. However, after some argued that the punishment was disproportionate to the offense, it was decided to reconsider.

The tide had turned. "It was last month. We sent a letter to each team saying, 'National team players should attend reinforcement training'. The same letter was sent to Choi Sol-gyu, as discipline was being discussed, but then his club, Yonex, informed us that he would not be attending the training because of his intention to retire from the national team. He will also not participate in the 2024 national team selection this month," Choi said.

This 'intention to retire' stopped the disciplinary discussion. If the athlete decides to retire, the disciplinary process is no longer effective, making further discussions pointless. This is also the reason why Choi did not participate in major international tournaments such as the Denmark-France Open and Japan-China Masters after the AG. 카지노사이트777

A sharp confrontation

There was noise again. Choi's family members, who found his absence strange, tried to get to the bottom of the situation and expressed their frustration.

Choi Sol-gyu's father said, "He was upset that he couldn't compete in the Korea Open due to Kim Won-ho's injury, so he drank with two of his teammates and was late for the meeting the next day. He called his girlfriend to deliver the burden that became unnecessary due to his non-appearance," he said, adding, "He sincerely regretted his mistake and asked for forgiveness, promising not to let it happen again."

"I don't know why the arrows are being pointed at Sol-gyu. The two athletes who drank together are still on the national team, but only Solgyu had to leave the athletes' village as instructed by the coaching staff," said his father, who added, "He competed in the AG without being able to work out with his partner. During the competition, he was treated as an invisible person and bullied. There was no side coaching, and even during the final, he was indifferent. He criticized and insulted my son in his absence," and claimed that Choi Sol-gyu was a victim of sports violence.

Members of the South Korean badminton team at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games pose for a photo during the arrival ceremony.

As for the 'intention to retire' that the federation was aware of, "It's not true at all. He just said he didn't want to attend training because of the increasing violence in the sport. Even now, it is difficult to live a normal life because of the stress," he said, adding, "We need to reveal the true nature of sports violence and allow Solgyu to compete in international competitions normally."

In response, an association official said, "There was more than just missing training due to drinking, there was more inappropriate behavior, and I was also interviewed about it. There are obvious differences with the claims of the players' families. We will organize the data and make a formal announcement in due course."