O dear! Jan O Jorgensen sorry over Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin Malaysia shirt row
The Dane won the China Open title on Sunday after beating China’s Chen Long, but earlier caused offence after throwing a discarded shirt during his semi-final
Jan O Jorgensen has apologised and insisted he wasn’t being “disrespectful” after he tossed a shirt emblazoned with the Malaysian flag during badminton’s China Open, prompting an angry reaction from fans.
The Dane, who went on to win the title in Fuzhou on Sunday, drew ire when he threw a discarded shirt belonging to Malaysia’s Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin on to the court during a break in their semi-final.
Zainuddin took offence and told Malaysian media: “My jersey has the Malaysian national flag. I don’t have a problem if you want to disrespect me. But please respect the Jalur Gemilang [Flag of Malaysia] on my shirt.”
Irate fans took to social media to criticise Jorgensen, who later issued an apology via Facebook.
“I’m sorry for all the Malaysians I have offended by throwing Iskandar’s shirt. Not my meaning to be disrespectful... I have a lot respect for him,” Jorgensen wrote.