New Straits Times » Sport Badminton/All-England Championships: Danish danger in Thomas Cup S. Selvam BIRMINGHAM, Mar 16: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DENMARK may not have the reputation nor the tradition in team events, but winning the Thomas Cup is their goal this year. And for those who believe the Danish players are only good when it comes to individual events, Danish coach Stee Pedersen promised a big surprise. "Our goal is to win the Thomas Cup this year," said Pedersen. "People may perceive that we are weak in the team event and our players are more focused on the individual tournaments, but this is not true. "Since the 1996 Thomas Cup, there is a keenness in the players to do well in the tournament. They are fired up and team spirit is excellent. Now, everybody looks forward to the Thomas Cup." The Thomas Cup finals will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 7-16 with Denmark heading Group D which also has Japan and England. The other teams in the 12-nation tournament are champions Indonesia, China and United States in Group A, South Korea, Germany and New Zealand in Group B while Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa are in Group C. "We came close to winning the Thomas Cup on several occasions but with our players improving all the time, and based on our current performance, we have a good chance of winning the title," added Pedersen. "Although the team is yet to be finalised, I may bring five singles players and two doubles pairs to Jakarta. We have three strong doubles pairs but bringing five singles players may give me better tactical options. "But this is a decision that we will make after the European Championships next month." Denmark have All England runner up Peter Gade Christensen, Anders Boesen, Kenneth Jonassen and former world champion Peter Rasmussen to choose from for the singles. In the doubles, world champions Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen are at Pedersen's disposal, as are newly crowned All-England champions Jens Eriksen-Martin Lundgaard. They also have the fast improving Michael Lamp-Mathias Boer to fall back onto. Former Malaysian coach Morten Frost Hansen also refuted claims the Danes were nonchalant about winning the Thomas Cup. "As professionals, they don't like to lose. In the past, they have not done well because it is difficult to get all the players to perform at their peak at the same time, and in the same match. "But they have been steadily progressing and will be a danger to the rest of the teams," said Frost. And as an early warning, the International Badminton Federation, based on the performance of the individual players on the international circuit, have seeded Denmark second for the tournament, ahead of Malaysia, South Korea and even Indonesia. And come May, the Danes will have the opportunity to prove they are indeed serious about winning the Cup.
