Morten Frost quits the bench

Danish Legend Morten Frost will no longer be the National head coach for U-19 in Aarhus,  as he recently accepted an offer from a real estate and finance company

By Raphael Sachetat.  Photos: Badmintonphoto

There will be no Morten Frost on the side court by Peter Gade, nor in the National Training Center in Aarhus, to look after the best Danish juniors: not for a while and not as an official member of the Badminton Denmark staff, at least. The legendary Danish player – and coach – made official his desire to move on and accept an offer in the private sector, leaving 40 years of badminton behind him.

In an interview published this morning by the Danish newspaper JP.dk, the Dane announced that he could not let go with the opportunity: “I could not say no. It was one of Aarhus AB’s sponsors, who asked me and I could not say no. It is a great challenge and I would like to take the challenge,” said Morten Frost in a statement. “It was a difficult decision, because it is a drastic change for me. I will still be in Aarhus AB, but now on my leisure time,” he added.

For Badminton Denmark’s Chief Coach, Frost departure is a clear loss: “Morten has contributed with his practical experience, a bold vision and has greatly helped to break down the barriers to success against Asian opponents. He has challenged conventional thinking in our badminton world,” says Finn Trærup-Hansen.

Morten Frost had been one of the most successful Danish men’s singles, with no less than 4 All England titles. He had then taken the job as head coach in Malaysia and South Africa before going back to Denmark where he was in charge of the young generation, amongst which is Viktor Axelsen, one of the most promising players in Europe – the only one who has clinched a singles world junior champion title…

“I just heard the news today. I’m not so happy about it. Morten is great as coach and person, and has helped me a lot, not only on the court, but also outside! But I’m sure Morten has taken the right choice, and that we will keep in touch even though he isn’t u19 national coach anymore,” said Axelsen.