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October 3rd, 2013

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 When it comes to sports, the media has its priorities.  FC Copenhagen in the Champions League, Caroline Wozniaki’s abysmal form, doped-up cyclists in the Giro Italia and even Michael Laudrup’s mid-table Swansea City feature so heavily in the press that other coverage-worthy sports, in which Danes actually have a good chance of being successful, often get overlooked. 

Over the rest of this week and the coming month, both home and abroad, Danish sportsmen and women are competing in top-class competitions that are often a great deal more accessible to the public than their higher-grossing counterparts. 

At the time of going to press, several Danish dancers were hoping for success at the International Ballroom Dancing Championships, and from Thursday (October 4), Odense will be hosting the World Cup Trampoline and Tumbling. 

The European Championships in table tennis takes place in Austria and also starts on Thursday, while the Yonex Denmark Open in badminton is scheduled to begin in Odense on October 15.

World Cup Trampoline and Tumbling

Oct 4-5 

Next weekend in Odense, trampolining and tumbling will take centre stage, and for less than 200kr you can see no less than eight Danish athletes, including the Danish and Nordic champion Peter Jensen, competing against the world’s best gymnasts who are chasing points in the lead-up to this year’s World Championships, which will be held in Bulgaria next month.

Badminton’s Yonex Denmark Open

Oct 15-20 

Also in Odense, spectators at the Yonex Denmark Open will, for a snip at 130kr per day or 495kr for the week, have the opportunity to see the world number one, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, in action. Wei, who is currently favourite to take the $400,000 dollar purse on offer, will compete alongside Danish singles players Jan Jorgensen and the up-and-coming 19-year-old Viktor Axelsen, who are ranked fifth and 22nd in the world respectively. In the men’s doubles, Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen, who are ranked third in the world and were the winners of the 2011 edition, are expected to go close. And if the action on the court isn’t enough, there will be drummers and a local Elvis impersonator on standby to keep the crowds entertained. 

European Table Tennis 

Championships 

Oct 4-13 

Schwechat in Austria is hosting the European Table Tennis Championships. It’s a tournament in which the former European champion and local table tennis legend Michael Maze will attempt to make amends for last year’s disappointing performance in the same event held in Herning, where he lost in the first round to Austria’s Stefan Fegerl.

International Ballroom Dancing Championships 

Oct 3

The International Ballroom Dancing Championships was held at one of the world’s most prestigious dance arenas: London’s Royal Albert Hall. Louise Heise, who hails from Islev in Greater Copenhagen, who is along with partner Umberto Gaudino ranked number 16 in the competition, was the Dane with the best chance of success. Meanwhile the all-Danish pairing of Sandra Sorensen and Malthe Brinch-Rohde, who came second in this year’s national championships, were also a surprise.