Olympic Champion Hoyer Larsen elected BWF President

Monday, 20 May 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Badminton’s world governing body (BWF) will create a separate commission to deal with match-fixing problems, Poul-Erik Hoyer Larsen said after being elected president on Saturday. Denmark’s 1996 Olympic men’s singles gold medallist Hoyer Larsen beat Indonesian Justian Suhandinata to claim the role after an election at the BWF headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

The 47-year-old, the only European to win a badminton gold at the Olympics, will replace South Korea’s Kang Young-Joong who vacated the post after eight years at the helm. “Badminton has been in my heart for my whole life and therefore, I cherish this opportunity,” Hoyer Larsen told reporters.

“I am really looking forward to work with the staff and my council members in order to deliver for the future, so that we are fulfilling the task that had been set by Dr. Kang.” Hoyer Larsen will have four years to revive the sport, which came under fire at last year’s London Olympics, when four women’s doubles pairs from South Korea, China and Indonesia deliberately played to lose their matches in order to get a more favourable draw.

The players were kicked out of the Games but not before it created the biggest scandal in badminton’s history as an Olympic sport. “Match-fixing or match throwing is, of course, a concern,” Hoyer Larsen said, after polling 145 votes to Suhandinata’s 120 during the election. “But firstly, in my opinion, we have to set up a commission in the council. That is where we will be dealing with the matter. But definitely it is a concern.”

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