Former Danish badminton coach and player Joachim Persson has been banned for four years by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) after being caught betting on matches courtside during the Japan Open, held two weeks after the Paris Olympics.
Badminton Coach Caught On Camera
According to the BWF’s disciplinary report, Persson was filmed by a player placing live bets on his mobile phone during a match. When confronted, he reportedly displayed “a mixture of shock and emotion.”
Persson, who previously coached world No. 3 Anders Antonsen, was immediately dismissed by the Danish star following the revelations. Antonsen has reached the singles quarterfinals at both the Tokyo (2021) and Paris (2024) Olympic Games.
The BWF stated that Persson’s actions violated strict anti-betting regulations, emphasizing that “betting on badminton in any capacity will not be tolerated.”
The investigation revealed Persson’s betting account placed nine wagers totaling 5,205 Danish krone (USD 810) during a Tokyo match, with seven winning bets yielding 9,821 krone (USD 1,530).
The four-year sanction was aggravated by prior offenses, including a previous betting ban, the use of a proxy gambling account under a false name, and access to insider information as a coach.
In 2019, he was banned from badminton tournaments for 18 months and was ordered to pay costs of US$4,500, guilty of four violations of the code of conduct in relation to betting wagering and irregular match results.
A former European Championship silver medalist in 2008, Persson’s reputation within the sport has been overshadowed by the scandal. The BWF said the case serves as a “timely reminder” of the importance of integrity and transparency within badminton.
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Persson’s Badminton Career
Persson was born in Denmark but his family moved to Germany in his early years. He began playing badminton in Trittau, Germany together with his parents. He helped the German team win the mixed team title at the 2001 European Junior Championships, and won a silver medal in the singles event. In 2002, he moved back to Denmark and started to practice at Brøndby.
In 2004 he won the Irish International, in 2005 the Finnish International Championships and the V Italian International, and in 2006 the Austrian International, the Swedish International and the Finnish International Championships.
