Badminton gold medal winner Viktor Axelsen swaps shirt with opponent; ‘beautiful’ tradition started in 2016

After the men's singles badminton final, as a mark of respect for his opponent, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen exchanged his shirt with China's Chen Long. Axelsen bagged the gold after defeating Long, who claimed the title in Rio in 2016.  

We usually witness major rivalries during competitions and see opponents battling it out, particularly football and hockey. In cricket, sledging is very common. But some emotional moments would leave one overwhelmed. Similarly, this year during Tokyo Olympics, we witnessed such instances. 

After the men's singles badminton final, as a mark of respect for his opponent, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen exchanged his shirt with China's Chen Long. Axelsen bagged the gold after defeating Long, who claimed the title in Rio in 2016.  

Sharing the moment on social media, the official account of Olympics 2020 said: 
"During the men's singles badminton final last night, Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen of Denmark traded shirts with silver medallist Chen Long of China as a symbol of respect to his opponent," the tweet read.

However, the tradition began five years ago when the Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei and the double Olympic champion from China, Lin Din, swapped their shirts at Rio during their semi-final. Post the match, two players embraced and exchanged their tee.
The official account shared, "Take a look at the beginning of the tradition between legendary Malaysian Badminton player Lee Chong Wei, and double Olympic champion from China, Lin Dan."

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