Denmark’s second best badminton player, Anders Antonsen, is now following in Viktor Axelsen’s footsteps and moving to Dubai.

This is what Badminton Denmark writes on its website.

He thus withdraws from the association’s elite program and can no longer have a Badminton Denmark national coach as head coach, receive financial support or make use of Team Denmark’s experts in everyday life.

– We have never hidden the fact that we prefer to have all our best players gathered at NETC (Nationale Elite Træningscenter, ed.), as badminton is a sparring sport, but we respect his choice and only wish that Anders succeeds look good going forward, says sports manager Jens Meibom.

According to Badminton Denmark, Antonsen and Axelsen will still train with NETC for 13-15 weeks a year. He is also still relevant for tournaments such as the EC and WC.

Antonsen emphasizes that he was happy with the training in NETC and is not traveling because he is dissatisfied.

– I have just reached a place in my life where I have a desire and hunger to try myself in a new way. I will have a base in Dubai, but also want to travel and train in different countries and explore the many different approaches to badminton and training culture, says Anders Antonsen.

Antonsen was for a long time number two in the world rankings after Axelsen, but after a less than good period he is now throttled down to number eight.

Viktor Axelsen moved to Dubai in the summer of 2021 with his family shortly after his victory at the Olympics in Japan. Since then, he has consolidated himself as the world’s best badminton player and won both the EC, WC and a number of major tournaments.

At the time, he justified his choice with better training conditions and access to experts, as well as fewer problems from his allergy and hay fever in a milder climate.

Axelsen also acknowledged that there were financial benefits, but also increased expenses as he had to find training opponents himself.

– I know that I can easily end up in a shitstorm, but honestly – the older I get and the longer I’ve been in the game, the less I think about what people outside my inner circle think of me, said Axelsen back then.