KUALA LUMPUR — Badminton critic Datuk James Selvaraj criticised the organisers of the Badminton World Championships for their incompetence in hosting the prestigious tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Thommas Cupper’s comments come after several Malaysian independent players recently took to social media to express their disappointment over the mismanagement of their hotel bookings upon their arrival on Thursday.
“I’m surprised. This is a world championship. The BWF president, Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen, who is from Denmark himself, should know better.
“Such a championship should be well-organised. It’s unfortunate for the independent players who have to wait for their hotel arrangement issues to be resolved,” Selvaraj told Scoop when contacted today.
Hotel booking was not the only issue that arose as there were also problems with the poor scheduling of transportation.
Mixed doubles players Shevon Lai and Lai Pei Jing, as well as men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia, expressed on their social media accounts that they had to wait for hours for the bus to transport them to the tournament venue.
“I hope the players can put these issues aside and concentrate on their games,” added Selvaraj.
As of the time of writing, it remains unclear whether the organisers have resolved the logistics issues.
The badminton world meet is set to start tomorrow at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, and will run until August 27.
Aaron-Wooi Yik made history for Malaysia by clinching the country’s first World Championships title in 45 years. — August 20, 2023.