– It is tempting to live on something that in any case approaches a poverty line, when you are 26 years old, says Vegard Rikheim to news. He and Torjus Flåtten are Norway’s best pair in men’s doubles and had the Olympics in Paris as their big goal. Now, in the middle of qualifying for the Olympics, the badminton duo has chosen to put a stop to the investment and the Olympic dream. They put a lot of the blame on the Norwegian Badminton Association. – We don’t have the finances to keep going. The budget does not go with the sum on account, says Rikheim. Rikheim and Flåtten say that they depend on being able to travel abroad in order to get better sparring and training at a higher level. SKUFFA: Flåtten (left) describes the situation as “me and Vegard against everyone else.” Photo: Jørund Wessel Carlsen / news – We didn’t want to give up. We knew we were forced to do it, says Flåtten. The duo has a quarter-final result in the EC, a quarter-final in the World tour tournament and has been ranked no. 39 in the world. Hoping for 114,000 – got 50,000 A while ago, the national team centre, where the best badminton players in the country train, was closed down. The Norwegian Badminton Association confirms to news that part of the money they saved on the operation of the center went directly to the athletes in the form of scholarships. Rikheim and Flåtten claim that the message from the association was that this solution should provide a better and more personal adaptation for the players, which the two were initially positive about. When the association presented the final scholarship solution in June, the 26-year-olds widened their eyes. – The scholarship was distributed so that 29 athletes received support. When I saw it, I thought it was nonsense, says Flåtten. Furthermore, he said that in the application they proposed what they thought was a reasonable budget of NOK 114,000 each. When the distribution was done, they were left with NOK 50,000 each. Far too little, the duo thinks. – They don’t care. They almost make fun of us, says Flåtten. The association: They have received more support Michael Fyrie-Dahl, president of the Norwegian Badminton Association, tells news that they have been through a somewhat turbulent period financially, and there has been a need for greater caution in using the funds the association has for investment. – For the vast majority, this award was the only form of support that will be given in 2023, for the relevant players this was far from the only support so far this year, says Fyrie-Dahl. NEWLY ELECTED: Michael Fyrie-Dahl was elected president of the Norwegian Badminton Association in June this year. Photo: Norway’s Badminton Association He adds that they have not been negative about dialogue with Flåtten and Rikheim in relation to improving the framework conditions for investing further. – On Sunday 12 November at the latest, we had a chat with both players to find out if there is a basis for establishing a dialogue about further investment. What will be the final result of such a possible dialogue, it is too early to be able to say anything about, but it is clear that we, from the association’s side, want our best players to continue investing, so we will see about that is possible to get the dialogue on the right track, he says. news has submitted Torjus Flåtten’s comment to the association that the 50,000 “is far from the only support they have received so far this year”. To that, Flåtten says: – From 1 May, when the Olympic qualifiers started, we received 50,000 which should last until December. This was supposed to go to tournaments and training. Criticizes the association – is appointed himself Flåtten believes the association must look at which athletes actually invest in the sport. – The scholarship that was awarded cannot be called a top sports scholarship. It is a broad scholarship, he believes. Rikheim has now resigned himself to the fact that he will no longer travel the world and train to be the best. He thinks it is far from realistic to bet going forward now. – Do you think it is possible to resolve this in talks with the union now? – It looks quite impossible, replies Rikheim. He emphasizes that sponsors are and have been an important part of their venture, and that they appreciate the help they have received. Although Rikheim has just been laid off after disagreements with the union, he is by no means finished with the union. He has been given an intermediate position of 60 per cent in the Norwegian Badminton Association. – I am not afraid to say that I disagree with the union. I think openness is important and I think it is the way to go to create an improvement, he says and adds: – There is money there, and I think it is being used badly.
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