Axelsen, Zhang slam BWF for ignoring player welfare

Two-time Olympic and world champion Viktor Axelsen lashed out at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on social media on Dec 4, noting that he was "tired of the disconnect between players and BWF" and questioned if the latter cares about athlete welfare.

- David Lee

The Danish world No. 3 had pulled out of the Dec 11-15 BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China due to a left foot injury and took issue with the world governing body's response to his withdrawal.

The defending champion shared on X that BWF had asked for his medical documents in order to waive the US$5,000 (S$6,700) penalty for not competing in the US$2.5 million tournament.

Axelsen, 30, said: "I have tried on multiple occasions to send supporting documents when I have been sick and injured, and every single time I get the fine anyway.

"Reading about Beiwen Zhang's case about her situation just reinforces my opinion that BWF say publicly they care about the player's well-being, but in the end, do you really?

"Just go ahead and send me the fine."

His comments come days after former Singapore player Zhang, who now represents the United States, lashed out at the BWF's policy of issuing fines to its "top committed players" for not participating in the tour's top events.

The list comprises the top 15 men's and women's singles players, as well as the top 10 men's, women's and mixed doubles pairs.

On Nov 27, world No. 15 Zhang noted on Instagram how "bittersweet" it was to make the list.