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Why only Danes compete with Asian players in badminton?

From Tuesday to Sunday, the Pierre-de-Coubertin room in Paris will host the 11e edition of the French badminton internationals. The 250 best players in the world, in singles or doubles, will compete in this open which is part of the twelve stages of the SuperSeries circuit (the equivalent of Grand Slam tournaments in tennis). In 2016, 31 nations were represented and yet, in the final list, there were only two: China and Denmark. The Chinese players had won the title on all fronts, except the men’s doubles, stolen by the Danish pair Boe-Mogensen.

This was no exception: Danish players regularly infiltrate the midst of the all-powerful Asian nations (usually China, South Korea and Indonesia) in the badminton charts. Regarding the French Open, the first Danish winners date back to 1948. And, before starting these internationals from France, the men’s world number 1 comes from the country of Kierkegaard: Viktor Axelsen, 23, notably won the world championships in the discipline in August, twenty years after his compatriot Peter Rasmussen. In the history of the competition, in men’s singles, all titles have been won by Chinese or Indonesian players, except 3. Three Danes.

Weather and tradition

The Nordic country is therefore an anomaly in this sport: how could badminton develop so much in isolation in a single European country? Because behind the Danes, there is hardly that Spain which is encrusted in recent years in the charts with its Olympic champion Carolina Marín, an exception too. In China, South Korea or Indonesia, badminton is part of the culture, why is it also in Denmark?

Could Denmark’s geographic position be the source of its inhabitants’ interest in badminton? The local site Jutland Station estimates that the popularity of the sport in the country is due to the difficult Nordic weather: badminton is played indoors, it can be played all year round. But why would the Scandinavian countries not have adopted it so much in this case?

The answer for many is simply tradition. The Danish Peter Gade, winner of the French internationals in 2008 and five-time European champion, was appointed performance director at the French Badminton Federation in 2015. For him, “Tradition has created large structures that allow the creation of champions. Children start at 6-7 years old in Denmark, and with the structures and important knowledge acquired, one can see far and take them to the highest level. “

With 400 clubs and 78,000 licensees for 5.7 million inhabitants, the government also implemented in 2015 the “Vision 25-50-75” plan, which aims to have half of the Danish population enrolled in a sports club, and that 75% of Danes participate in sports regularly by 2025.

Virtuous circle in France?

With local champions who have shown the way since the 1940s and 1950s, generations of little Danes succeed one another and each time produce some of the best players in the world. The competition, fierce from a very young age, hardened them, and they would then compete against the Asian champions of their younger generations. Currently, the number 1, Viktor Axelsen, has come to replace Jan O Jorgensen, European champion 2014 and current 21e world at 29. Behind, the young Anders Antonsen (20 years old and 14th in the world) is already tickling Axelsen. A simple virtuous circle that has lasted a long time therefore.

This virtuous circle, Peter Gade would also like to start in France. The soil is fertile: the French Badminton Federation has doubled its number of licensees since 2005 and thus has more than 190,000 shuttlecockers in 2,000 clubs. With the predominant place of “bad” in school sports, there is plenty to do. The FFBad performance director remains cautious: “I see a lot of potential, but it’s going to take a long time to create a real culture. ” Today, the best French player is Brice Leverdez, 24e global. On the women’s side, no one has yet really taken over from Hongyan Pi who, in 2009, won a bronze medal at the world championships. The best chance of victory for these internationals from France thus rests perhaps on the shoulders of mixed doubles Audrey Fontaine / Ronan Labar in mixed doubles, bronze medalist at the last European Championships.

In order to create real enthusiasm, the exposure granted by the Olympic Games would be necessary anyway. In the meantime, and with Paris 2024 in his sights, Peter Gade is applying in France the recipes that have made Danish badminton so successful. The president of the federation at the time of his appointment, Richard Remaud, explained at the time that “The Danish model can adapt to ours while the Asian model is too different”. According to Gade, success will first require greater professionalism and a willingness to repeat the same gestures over and over again, every day in training. For the moment, the French players are not there yet. To the culture of total sacrifice type “law of the jungle” in force in Asian countries, Peter Gade thus opposes his Danish model “Emotional and supportive”. To see, then, if, in the years to come, the French badists will come to accompany their Danish cousins ​​on the catwalks.

Adrien franque

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