Denmark Faces Financial Constraint

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- European darkhorse Denmark may fade from the international badminton arena due to financial constraints, said its national coach, Lars Uhre.

He said the team received minimal financial support from the Danish government and was struggling to get private-sector sponsorship.

"We do get financial support from the government but not as much, compared with the Asian countries, especially Malaysia, and also not so much private-sector sponsorship like China, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia, he told Bernama here Tuesday.

Uhre said hiring a coach cost a lot of money, and thus there was only one foreign coach from China who was currently training the national team.

"Even the players do not get a salary from the federation," he added.

He said, however, that all the difficulties did not stop them from joining the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals this year.

Denmark has 30 players in the its national badminton squad, including the the current World Junior Champion, Viktoria Axelson.

Axelson, 16, who is studying in Hjallesesholen primary school, said that playing badminton was a hobby which had turned into a dream for him.

The 5th ranking young player in Denmark is aiming to be a professional player worldwide soon.

The Danish team is being sponsored by HEAD, which is one of the top brands in sports equipment.

Source from BERNAMA

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