For those who did not follow Badminton at the Olympics this year, Loh Kean Yew is currently Singapore’s #1 badminton men singles player, representing the country in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen won the event’s gold medal.
Viktor Axelsen announced on 23 August 2021 that, he is going to shift his training base from Denmark to Dubai. This means he will not train together with Danish national team in Denmark. He admits that this may have consequences when it comes to his relationship with the national coaches in Denmark, but he believes that this would be better for his health (he is allergic to pollen and it gets worse during summers in Europe, where his stamina drops – he once had to pull out of a tournament due to this allergy).
Similarly, following his appearance at Singapore’s National Day celebrations on 21 August, Loh Kean Yew made a post two days later indicating that he was leaving the country once again. He did not state his reasons for doing so.
Subsequently, Viktor Axelsen made an Instagram post showcasing his training at Dubai’s NAS Sports Complex. He credited the video to Loh Kean Yew.
This likely means that Loh Kean Yew has similarly ceased his training with Singapore’s team to train with the Olympic gold medalist. It is unclear how long his stint in Dubai will be, but training with stronger players will definitely benefit him.
Singapore definitely cannot provide him with the optimum training environment. Our government only likes to claim credit say the players are from Singapore when they make it to the international stage, but when it comes to training and resources they just give minimal. Look at Joseph Schooling whose parents had to fork out a million dollars from their own pockets for his training in the US, and then look at how many ministers flocked to take a picture with him when he won gold in Rio 2016?
Loh Kean Yew has a lot of potential, good for him that he is able to find such an opportunity to train with the world’s best players!
