SINGAPORE OPEN 2011 – No show for Lin Dan

The brighest shuttler on the planet shined by his absence on the pre-tournament press conference in Singapore on Monday, a day before the kick-off of the Li-Ning Singapore Open. The Chinese star declined the invitation to get down a few floors from his hotel room to attend the conference full of local and international media, citing a stomach ache. Five of his team-mates did show up but showed little enthusiasm, which led local media to question the role of shuttlers in promoting the sport – one reporter even asked if Wang Shixian was actually bored by press conferences.

Peter Gade, who was a guest of the next press point and who did show up, mentionned that players have the responsibility to promote the sport as well “We have the responsibilities and we have duties as players. I cannot comment on Lin Dan’s case as I don’t know anything about it, but I do believe that everyone has to put effort in order to raise the profile of the game. The BWF are going into the right direction, but everyone has to make efforts,” said the Dane.

Local articles on the day citing the Chinese player’s lack of enthusiasm prior to the kick-off were certainly not the best of promotion for the local organizers.

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