Badminton player Johanna Magnusson did not feel well at the elite center in Uppsala and moved home to Malmö after six months.  

As a consequence, she lost her elite support, ie her financial compensation from the Badminton Association, which introduced a requirement that players must belong to the elite program in Uppsala to receive that type of national team support. 

- It is very sad that she did not like and did not feel well for various reasons.

You should have one hundred percent respect for how she has experienced it, but I also feel confident that our coaches and support people have done everything to make her feel good, says Per-Henrik Croona to SVT Sport.

"Will benefit Swedish badminton in the long term"

Since he took over as sports director of the association in January 2021, he has been a driving force in concentrating the elite operations in Uppsala. 

- All good top countries in the world have a centralized business of about 25 to 35 players where you live, eat and train together.

So it has been important for me to create a real elite program also in Sweden, where we build a competitive situation that I believe will benefit Swedish badminton in the long term. 

But if players feel better at home in their club environment, can not one make an exception from the requirement if now that player benefits from it?   

- No, I'm bone-hard there.

We have to believe in what we do now and can not change it because of a player.

In Uppsala, the best ladies and gentlemen can train together.

Here is the league captain, assistant league captain and other support functions with all that entails.

But if you do not like being in the environment, which is by far the best we have in Sweden, you can of course choose to train elsewhere. 

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Badminton player Johanna Magnusson from Malmö lost her elite support after leaving the elite center in Uppsala.

Photo: Bildbyrån

But then you do not get the elite support?   

- No, exactly.

Because we believe in this and have quite a few years of proof that it is very difficult - if not impossible - for a club to have such a strong system that you can work up players at such a high level.

That is my assessment as sports director and I still want to say that I have good skills in the field.   

But according to Johanna, the training did not keep the level she had expected, she says, among other things, that she was sparred against worse resistance?   

- I do not agree with that.

That is her opinion and I respect it, but I do not share it.

I think the training was really excellent where she was given high priority every training more or less, says Per-Henrik Croona.  

Johanna's partner also lost his elite support

With Magnusson, who plays doubles, leaving Uppsala, her partner Clara Nistad also lost her elite support - despite the fact that she still trains in Uppsala. 

How is it that?  

- Because they are a couple.

And they are the best double pair we have, but we do not see the investment as optimal.

Clara could have chosen to play with a partner in Uppsala, but after thinking back and forth, she decided to return to playing with Johanna - and then you can not be in the elite program as we see it.

So Clara is still training in Uppsala, but on the premise that she is not in the elite program, which we have been clear about.   

The situation with Magnusson and Nistad created a split in the Badminton Association in March, where chairman Tommy Theorin chose to leave his role in protest against how the association has handled it all. 

Have you been too harsh in any way?   

- No, or I can understand from what Johanna describes, absolutely.

It turns out that a player is up against a league, but there our version of the story is probably not as hard and dramatic.

But I understand that it becomes a transformative situation when she receives such a sharp message.

But this demand has not been a secret but has been voted through by the board, says Per-Henrik Croona.