Reigning world and Olympic champion Lin Dan has defended his frequent withdrawals from tournaments that have raised the eyebrows of fellow professionals and fans alike.
In the nine Super Series tournaments the Chinese ace has entered so far this year, he has conceded three walkovers - including a no-show at the Singapore Open final - and had one early retirement.
'Sometimes, you get injured during competition and conceding a walkover is unavoidable,' said the Beijing Olympics singles champion, who arrived in Hong Kong yesterday for the 11th Super Series tournament of the year, which starts at the Coliseum on Tuesday.
'Also, the next Olympic Games are approaching, and you have to take precautious [against aggravating any injuries]. I want to extend my playing career as long as possible, certainly beyond next year's Olympic Games in London.'
However, not everyone is convinced that the walkovers are genuine. There are complaints that Lin, who is also known as 'Super Dan', has deliberately thrown matches against his compatriots so that they can earn enough qualifying points to reach the London Olympics. According to the rules, a country can send three singles players to London but only if they are in the top four positions upon the completion of the qualification period in April. Otherwise, a country can send only a maximum two.
At the moment, Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia is on top of the rankings list, followed by China's Chen Long. Lin is third, and Peter Gade of Denmark, the only European who has made it into a Super Series final this year, is fourth, followed by another mainlander, Chen Jin.