'Only Yonex' Badminton Association blocked entry to overseas player sponsors of the Korea Open 'Embarrassed'
Aug 29, 2024
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As the Badminton Korea Association holds an international competition, it is criticized for playing dirty 'gapjil' against overseas players' sponsors.
This is contrary to the growing public opinion that regulatory innovation on personal sponsorship is needed in the wake of the 'Ahn Se-young' incident, so the controversy is expected to grow.
According to Sports Chosun's report on the 29th, badminton equipment company 'Victor' sent an official letter to the association ahead of the opening of the '2024 Korea Open' and asked for an AD card to allow Victor's supporters to enter the stadium, but was rejected for dubious reasons.
The Korea Open is the first international competition to be held in Korea since the Paris Olympics, and it is being held from the 27th to September 1st at Mokpo Indoor Gymnasium in Jeollanam-do with 350 people from 23 countries participating. The official title sponsor of the competition is HSBC, and Yonex is the main sponsor of the Korean national team, but the competition is participating as a commodity 'subsponsor'. Among the participants in this tournament, 24 players from six countries, including Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia, are sponsored by Victor.
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Usually, in various competitions, it is often necessary to replace strings due to broken or weak elasticity during games. In particular, rapid string replacement is an important out-of-game variable because players have psychological stability when the spare amount is always filled in their bags and participate in the game.
In a reply letter, the association issues limited AD cards to support the business activities of the association's official sponsors and sponsors. Victor refused, saying, 'It is impossible because it is not a sponsor of the competition, a partner.'
In response, Victor's side says it cannot understand. I'm not asking for another sponsor's string work space inside the gym, but I'm asking for a brief access only when delivering rackets for the convenience of participants, but it's too much to block sponsors other than Yonex. Victor's opposition is even greater because there was no such access restriction until 2022.
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A person with a lot of experience in international competitions said, "When a player's sponsor fails to set up a string studio at the venue of the competition, it does not block access to racket collection personnel from rival sponsors." "If foreign players who use goods from sponsors other than Yonex find out, they could be internationally humiliated." In particular, players receive 'stringing' depending on their characteristics, depending on their string type and elasticity, so if their usual sponsors change, their performance can be affected.
In addition, the association seems inevitable to point out that 'the outside and the inside are different'. In an interview with a media outlet on the 27th, Badminton Association Chairman Kim Taek-kyu said, "(The old generation's custom should be eliminated) in relation to the 'Ahn Se-young incident'"He said he would improve regulations on player sponsorship. As Ahn Se-young appealed, the road to support the opening of the hospital is also being opened, and from behind, the sponsors of overseas athletes who participated in international competitions are consistent with the 'closed administration'.
cms@sportschosun.com
