Source: Visual China Group/VCG
[Saba Sports News] In the middle of the week, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released a mid-term inspection report regarding the An Se-young incident, revealing how the Korean Badminton Association exploited rules for its own benefit. The report disclosed that the association deleted an internal clause that provided athletes with 20% of donations without their knowledge; on the other hand, the association’s leadership violated internal regulations by attracting sponsors to obtain bonuses. The association purchased competition supplies through non-bid contracts in government-funded projects and privately received rackets and shuttlecocks worth 150 million won, one-third of which were prioritized for delivery to the hometown of association president Kim Taek-gyu. The Ministry accused Kim Taek-gyu of misappropriating public funds and defined the non-bid contracts signed with sponsors as violations of the Subsidy Management Act. Additionally, the association violated comprehensive management guidelines regarding national subsidies and conducted transactions with an accounting firm operated by the association’s auditor, paying 68 million won in bonuses to its vice president and executive director in exchange for their contributions to sponsorship. In response, some fans criticized the selfish association leaders for using the organization to hinder athletes from obtaining sponsorships and forcing them to use designated sponsors’ rackets and shoes.