Viktor Axelsen new book Vindervilje, published in November 2022, addresses the online abuse and criticism he faced after moving to Dubai for training.
Jayce
Last year, Axelsen established his own training camp in Dubai, which caused an uproar in Denmark. Danish media criticized his actions, and some even questioned if he moved to Dubai to avoid Denmark’s high taxes.
A year later, Axelsen confirms in his book that moving to Dubai and establishing his own training camp was indeed the right decision: “Yes! Those who favor the Danish national team model criticize me for betraying the Danish model and disrupting the food chain of Danish badminton. Moreover, they say I left the country, betraying Denmark and becoming a national traitor.”
“Some believe that after the Olympics, I should pass on my experience to the next generation, just as I learned from Jørgensen and Gade. Indeed, I benefited from my predecessors, but they merely trained with me. They thought I could contribute something to make them better. Some people’s thinking is narrow-minded, not understanding how the national team training works and what daily life is like. If I only started giving back to the younger generation in 2021, that would be a big mistake. Since I was 17, I have always set an example through my actions. You must start training early, realizing that every minute is important. In my view, this is also giving back. When I return to the Danish team, I will always do this.”
Axelsen uses his teammate Hans-Kristian Vittinghus as an example, stating that Vittinghus is not the highest-ranked player and may never have been the best in Denmark, but he trains very hard.
“Some also criticize me, saying that my departure will destroy Danish badminton culture and threaten the system. When I first heard this, I shook my head. If a league or organization is built around one player or one employee, then there are more serious problems. In fact, you should focus more on the backwardness of Danish badminton and find out why there are far fewer champions now compared to five, ten, or twenty years ago. Saying I ruined Danish badminton is just an excuse, not really facing reality. I will not take anything away from Danish badminton. On the contrary, I am striving to become a better player, attracting more attention to the sport.”
In his book, Axelsen also targets so-called experts and the Danish Badminton Association. “Those experts have never competed and lack long-term vision. The Danish Badminton Association needs to reflect and self-criticize. If they stubbornly continue doing things as usual in the face of the growing development of badminton, their approach is wrong.”
Axelsen expresses dissatisfaction with the Danish Badminton Association for failing to create a good environment and hindering the development of the national team and Danish badminton. “What if the Danish Badminton Association and I could cooperate to promote the sport’s development?”
Axelsen believes that even after moving to Dubai, he can still contribute to Danish badminton. “Several badminton clubs publicly stated that after I won the Olympic gold medal, the number of young people in the clubs increased significantly. Winning the gold medal has nothing to do with my residence. I am the only Danish player who has won the World Championship, Olympic, and All England titles. I may be the player who has contributed the most to Danish badminton in history. Winning medals provides funding for Danish badminton. However, the Danish team or the Danish Badminton Association will not thank me for staying at home.”
Axelsen poses a rhetorical question, “Did Cristiano Ronaldo dedicate his entire football career and life to Portuguese football? When Christian Eriksen transferred, the club that nurtured him received a sum of money. This is giving back, and this is Eriksen’s story.”
“Undoubtedly, critical news can make headlines and spread quickly on social media. Some people want to burn my passport and call me a traitor. Sadly, I don’t care about the keyboard warriors’ accusations and the harsh words of strangers. The comments from those familiar with badminton affect me more.”
There is also criticism that after leaving the Danish badminton environment, Axelsen will not get better training partners, and his training level will decline. In his book, Axelsen refutes this idea as completely unnecessary. “I will invite players from Europe and Asia to Dubai, including some young talents like Loh Kean Yew, who became the World Champion in men’s singles after training in my camp for a few months. This is a reminder to those who doubt us, we will push each other forward.”
As for the tax evasion accusations, Axelsen also responds: “Some criticism is not sports-related, claiming I moved to Dubai just to avoid paying taxes in Denmark. If that were the case, I should have opened a training camp in Monaco. The tax issue would still be resolved. I chose Dubai because it is more suitable for establishing a training camp. Bringing international players to Denmark would be too costly, and the time difference would not allow it. They might not agree to it. The same reason applies to not going to Monaco.”
“After years of hard work in this sport, I realized one fact: I cannot make everyone happy, but I must first believe in myself and choose what benefits me.” Axelsen also states, “Overall, we made the right choice. Fortunately, I believe the vast majority of people understand me.”
