IT’S autumn in Denmark and the weather is truly lovely. The leaves are in different shades of colours – golden brown, bright yellow, red, and orange – and I feel like I’m in a fairyland.
Odense is home to some famous names. Hans Kristian Andersen, who wrote all those unforgettable fairy tales like the Little Mermaid, The Emperors New Suit, The Princess and the Pea and many more was born here.
I must have read the Little Mermaid to my little niece a hundred times when she was young.
Viktor Axelsen, who lived a real fairy tale as Denmark’s greatest player, was also born in Odense.
A few media friends and I had the privilege of visiting him at his home in 2009. He was just learning Mandarin and impressed a few in the Chinese media.
Now Axelsen, a two-time Olympic Games champion and winner of all major titles, remains a giant in the badminton world.
On Thursday, though, he was proof that even giants can fall. Against Alex Lanier of France in the second round of the Denmark Open, he was reduced to vomiting on court. It was painful to watch.
But it was also a show of his fighting spirit.
The 2021 champion was ill with some viral infection and feeling miserable, but tried to play on before eventually giving up at 19-21, 7-11.
Still, he received thunderous applause from his home fans. That’s how the Danish fans are – always cheering on their players.
In fact, the whole set-up of the Denmark Open is different from others. While the top players battle it out like at all other Opens, there are different age-group competitions taking place at the same time around Odense.
“There are many people from different age groups who are involved. And once they are done, the parents and children will come as a family to watch the big matches,” said head of badminton Denmark Kristian Langbak. It is a special sports culture.
No wonder that the small European nation with a population of over five million can stand on par with powerhouses like China, Indonesia and South Korea.
The area around the Jyske Bank Arena is full of activity and there are young children everywhere.
And with Odense being a leading robotics city, there are plenty of robots too. In fact cobots (collaborative robots) will be delivering the shuttlecock to the players in the semi-finals and finals.
It has added a touch of class to the World Tour 750 tournament, with technology merging with the traditional methods of doing things.
It’s not just tech, Denmark is going green, too. They have provided purified tap water for the players, minimising the use of plastic bottles. They have encouraged spectators to carpool and many more small efforts to make a difference in the way they care for the earth.
Jakob Staun, the head of events at Destinations Fyn, said: “We had brought in sustainability experts to help us minimise the effect on environment while we host big events here.
‘‘We look at many things, including food waste, transport, and see how best we can make it better every year.”
This is my seventh trip and I continue to admire the efforts taken by Denmark to look at the big picture. It has also been a special place for some of our players.
Lee Chong Wei won it here in 2012 and Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong smashed their way to success in 2016.
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik also won their first-ever World Tour event in Denmark last year.
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