KUALA LUMPUR: Things can get messy sometimes when statements are taken out of context.
Worst if they go viral.
Top men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has come to the defence of his friend and former world champion, Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, who was rumoured to have alerted and warned Asian players from competing in the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, as well as the European leg of tournaments which were scheduled to be held in Denmark next month.
Axelsen could find himself in hot water with the Danish BA for sharing his thoughts with other players.
Following an emergency council meeting on Sept 13, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) decided for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, originally slated for Oct 3-11 to be postponed to next year due to several withdrawals, while the Denmark Masters on Oct 20-25 has been been called off.
In a Timesport report last week, Zii Jia was quoted as saying Axelsen had mentioned that situations in Denmark were not good, as far as the Covid-19 pandemic was concerned.
In fact, a quick check on worldometers.info/coronavirus will show that Denmark has recorded a spike in Covid-19 cases since the BWF council meeting, with a jump of 333 new cases on Sept 13 to 589 new cases on Sunday.
"We (Axelsen and other players around the world) have always kept in touch outside the court. We share our thoughts and care for each other, because we want everyone to be safe and in good health.
"We have never gone so far to the point of discouraging one another from going or competing in events.
"Decision making lies with the administrators," said Zii Jia, who was clearly puzzled by the rumours that have been circulating online, based on a casual conversation between two friends.
The Malaysian World No 10 is hoping for all players to move on from the disappointment of not being able to play in the Thomas and Uber Cups, and shift their focus to the Asian leg of tournaments slated for November.
It is learnt that Thailand, one of the top Asian countries in handling the spread of the virus, is likely to host two Open tournaments (BWF World Tour Super 1000) and the season-ending World Tour Finals.
Despite the postponement of the Thomas and Uber Cups, international badminton will resume next month for the first time since March with the Denmark Open in Odense on Oct 13-18.