Tokyo Olympics: will European shuttlers threaten Asia’s badminton dominance?
- After a poor showing at the 2014 All England Open, European badminton has been on the rise, with stars from Denmark and France performing well
- But Asian countries such as China and Indonesia have long had a stranglehold on Olympic badminton, leaving the West with an uphill fight
Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues and athletes in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July.
In 2014, European badminton hit its nadir at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. For the first time in 115 years, no shuttler from the continent reached the semi-finals of the prestigious All England Open – the world’s oldest badminton tournament – with competitors from Asia instead filling up every final-four slot in all five events.
Their overwhelming dominance alarmed Badminton World Federation (BWF) president Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen into issuing a warning to the Europeans: raise your standards, or see a permanent power shift to Asia.
The West has responded in the seven years since. Spain’s Carolina Marin is the first female three-time world singles champion, and became the first Olympic women’s singles champion from outside Asia at Rio 2016. Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, the Olympic men’s singles bronze medallist in Brazil, became world champion in 2017.
Now, he and compatriot Anders Antonsen are serious contenders for the Olympic crown at the upcoming Tokyo Games. They are ranked second and third in the world respectively, and between them have amassed seven BWF World Tour titles since last year.
