Badminton: Sport’s Olympics future in doubt
Last week’s $1 million Korean Open was blighted by a number of match retirements by players.
SINGAPORE:
Badminton’s Olympic future is in jeopardy due to the continual mid-tournament retirements of leading players, according to Athens Games gold medallist Taufik Hidayat. Last week’s $1 million Korean Open was blighted by a number of match retirements by players, a now common occurrence on the tour. Indonesian Taufik is concerned the International Olympic Committee could end the sport’s 20-year run at the Games. “The situation has worsened. The constant retirements of players do not augur well for the game,” said the 31-year-old. “There is talk that badminton may not make it as a sport in the 2020 Olympics. We must bear in mind that other sports are strongly lobbying to be included.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2013.
Badminton’s Olympic future is in jeopardy due to the continual mid-tournament retirements of leading players, according to Athens Games gold medallist Taufik Hidayat. Last week’s $1 million Korean Open was blighted by a number of match retirements by players, a now common occurrence on the tour. Indonesian Taufik is concerned the International Olympic Committee could end the sport’s 20-year run at the Games. “The situation has worsened. The constant retirements of players do not augur well for the game,” said the 31-year-old. “There is talk that badminton may not make it as a sport in the 2020 Olympics. We must bear in mind that other sports are strongly lobbying to be included.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2013.