Axelsen’s secret plan: Kept it hidden for a year and a half | BT Badminton

When Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen announced in August that he was saying goodbye to national team training in Brøndby and moved to Dubai to live and train, it hit like a bolt from the blue.

The news divided Denmark in two. Some backed the decision, others raged over the choice of Dubai with the country’s tarnished reputation around human rights, but internally in the badminton community it was really no news.

In fact, far from it.

BT can now tell that Viktor Axelsen’s secret plan to move to Dubai has been in the making for a long time.

Sources in the badminton world say that many knew about the plan already in the spring of 2020 – almost a year and a half ago.

To the surprise of many, the plan managed to be kept internal, without the media getting word of it, and it is even though several around Axelsen knew about the Dubai move.

It was not until August 2021 in the wake of the Olympic triumph that Axelsen in an interview with Jyllands-Posten revealed his new residence in Dubai, where he now trains going forward.

It has not been possible to get a comment from Viktor Axelsen, so it is unclear whether it was the plan to move already in 2020, and whether it was the corona pandemic, the postponement of the Olympics to 2021 or the family increase last year that possibly put a temporary stop for the plans.

Part of Axelsen’s planning has also been about a new training environment in Dubai, where he uses the emirate’s training complex NAS Sports Complex. Along the way, he has tried to lure the very best men’s singles players away from Denmark.

Had Axelsen got his wish, it could have been a potential bomb during the national team training in Brøndby.

TV 2 Sport was first with the story that Anders Antonsen, Rasmus Gemke and national coach Kenneth Jonassen were all asked to accompany him to Dubai. BT also experiences the same information.

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Had Gemke and Antonsen accompanied Axelsen to Dubai – the three best Danish men’s singles players – it could have pulled the rug completely during the Danish setup in Brøndby, where Axelsen has been based on the massive triumphs of his career such as Olympic gold, World Cup gold, All England triumph as well as many other titles.

So far, Axelsen’s training setup has instead featured a mix of players from abroad and Denmark as well as Skovshoved coach Henrik ‘PK’ Rohde, who is also Axelsen’s father-in-law.

At Badminton Denmark, chairman Tore Vilhelmsen says that he did not know about Axelsen’s Dubai plans back in 2020, but he also points out that he only took over as chairman in September of the same year.

However, they have heard about the ‘rumors’ about Axelsen’s request to several of the players in the training environment in Brøndby.

“We’ve heard a lot of rumors. I have not asked Viktor about it, but I should not be able to say if others have, “he says to BT

According to the chairman, he does not intend to talk to Axelsen about the superstar’s motives for luring more Danish national team players to Dubai.

»Now Viktor has left and the others are here. As I have said all along, we need to get the best out of it. We are extremely sorry that he has slipped and we would very much like him to stay here. But now that’s how it is, ‘he says and continues:

“Viktor must be allowed to try it, just like everyone else must, and then we will find out in the best way. I do not have many comments on it right now, for us there is not much new in it. Now we have to focus on sports. “

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BT has tried to get a comment from Anders Antonsen about his no thanks to Dubai. He has not returned. In the podcast ‘The Badminton Experience’, which Antonsen makes together with national team colleague Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, they touch on the Axelsen situation.

‘We knew he wanted to move to Dubai so that was not breaking news for us. It might have leaked a little before it was planned. I was prepared for what I knew he would not be there after the Olympics, “says Antonsen in the podcast.

In the podcast, Vittinghus and Antonsen also touch on the potential consequences for the training environment in Brøndby after Axelsen’s exit.

‘Of course I would prefer Viktor to be here. But I’m not so worried in the long run if it’s just him. Of course, if you (Anders Antonsen, ed.) Slipped, if (Rasmus, ed.) Gemke also slipped, it would be a different situation, «says Vittinghus in the podcast and adds:

»I do not think we could afford for you (Anders Antonsen, ed.) And (Rasmus, ed.) Gemke to slip away. But hopefully it will not happen, “says Vittinghus, who does not want to elaborate on BT

As a consequence of Axelsen’s move, Badminton Denmark announced that Axelsen would no longer be able to make use of national coach Kenneth Jonassen in individual tournaments on the World Tour.

It will be possible for Axelsen to be coached by Jonassen for the European Championships and the World Cup both for teams and individually.

However, the association has not yet announced a very concrete plan for how the collaboration with Axelsen will be in the future. Axelsen has been selected for the Sudirman Cup in Finland in two weeks, where he will represent Denmark.

It has not been possible to get a comment from either sports director Jens Meibom or national coach Kenneth Jonassen. Both are on holiday.