FOR Chinese people who cannot speak their own language, it may feel disconcerting to hear two foreigners conversing fluently in Mandarin.
More than that, it was awe-inspiring when one of the foreigners happened to be Danish badminton men’s singles player Viktor Axelsen, the Paris Olympics 2024 gold medalist.
When a two-time Olympic champion, two-time world champion, and four-time European champion decides to pick up Mandarin as a second language, there must be a really good reason behind it.
Here in a viral interview with CTGN Europe prior to the Olympics, Viktor described his love for Mandarin and its association with his profession.
According to Axelsen, he learned Mandarin to increase his opportunities to receive sponsorship and jobs. Additionally, he could learn more about how the Chinese train, their perspective on badminton, and their training methods.
Having picked up the language 10 years ago, Axelsen said he received much inspiration from the Chinese player Bao Chunlai whose height matched him.
“Watching his matches gave me the opportunity to learn a lot. His skills, footwork and more. When I started growing taller, I was a bit nervous because there weren’t many very tall and excellent singles players,” he said.
The video on Facebook has since drawn over 1,100 comments and 1.1 million views. A Thai netizen was unapologetic about supporting Axelsen even though the player crushed Thailand’s dream for gold at the badminton men singles.
According to the netizen, Axelsen was a winner because he had the rare trait of combining his physics and mindset in his approach towards the sport.
Badminton aside, the Mandarin-conducted interview further prompted an awareness on the importance of the language. Perhaps it is a wake up call for the “banana” Chinese to start learning their mother tongue?
A Chinese netizen voiced her embarrassment at being defeated by a foreigner in her own mother tongue.
Now that most of the matches have been concluded in the Paris 2024 Olympics, the badminton fever will undoubtedly die down. For our local athletes who are perpetually striving for excellence in this highly competitive sport, the badminton training and classes will go on.
But for the average Malaysian who participates in the Olympics by watching the matches from the comfort of a 24/7 mamak shop, perhaps it is time to take up Mandarin class? Let’s take it from our inadvertent Mandarin language ambassador Viktor Axelsen. – Aug 7, 2024
Main photo credit: timesnownews.com
