KUALA LUMPUR – Denmark’s badminton head coach Kenneth Jonassen defended the decision of Badminton Denmark regarding the selection of the women’s singles player for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in July.
The controversy arose when Denmark’s Line Kjærsfeldt, ranked 21st in the Olympic qualification standings, expressed her disappointment on social media about not being chosen for the Paris Olympics.
Instead, Badminton Denmark selected Mia Blichfeldt – ranked below Kjærsfeldt – for the Paris Games. This will be Blichfeldt’s second Olympic appearance following Tokyo 2020.
“At the meeting yesterday (Saturday) about the selection, they told me what they had been looking at overall, but they could not tell me exactly which specific criteria they based their selection on.
“Only that they had analysed a lot of data and results, but not exactly and specifically why it was not me…leaving me with many unanswered questions.
“What should I have done to be selected?” Kjærsfeldt posted on social media.
During the Tokyo Olympics, Blichfeldt advanced past the group stage but was defeated by Pusarla Sindhu in the round of 16.
Jonassen clarified that while world ranking is significant, it does not guarantee selection. Each country has the ultimate authority in deciding which players to send.
Badminton Denmark believed Blichfeldt had an edge over Kjærsfeldt, though they did not elaborate on the specifics of her strengths.
“We have a couple of criteria that we used to choose Mia. It’s always a difficult decision, but one is the world ranking.
“World ranking is important and the result is taken into account, as well as future potential.
“The criteria states that world ranking is not the only factor we consider, so we chose what we thought was best for the country, with Mia having a slight edge.
“I won’t go into details at this point before we have specific talks with each player, which we agreed to put to rest until after the Indonesia Open. Only then will we go into detail.
“With Line here (at the Malaysia Masters), she is obviously disappointed, which is perfectly natural.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from a top player, but that is the tough choice I have to make as head coach, picking the best for the country,” Jonassen explained.
For the record, Kjærsfeldt previously competed in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but did not advance past the group stage.
Despite the disappointing news, Jonassen emphasised that Kjærsfeldt is still eager to continue her campaign in the Malaysia Masters.
Kjærsfeldt will face Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the first round tomorrow.
“We’ve already talked here about finding a way to communicate and step on the court to show that we’re still representing the same goals.
“I really understand her disappointment and frustration, but when we step on the court on Wednesday, we have to put that aside, be professional, and try our very best to win the match together,” Jonassen added. – May 21, 2024