[Saba Sports News] According to the latest reports from U.S. media, Chinese-American shuttler Zhang Beiwen and her compatriot Benedict Chen have publicly criticized each other. The conflict began when Benedict Chen posted a lengthy statement on social media, accusing Zhang Beiwen of bullying him on the court. He claimed that before a tournament in Japan, during pre-match practice, Zhang prevented him from training for an extended period, which affected his performance. He also alleged that the incident led to him losing sponsorship and accused Zhang of hoarding team resources and consistently targeting him.
In response, Zhang Beiwen denied any bullying, stating that she did not stop him from training. She explained that she only briefly coordinated the training schedule, and their conversation lasted just a few minutes in a public setting with many witnesses. To support her claim, she shared the training schedule from that time and accused Benedict of being the one who monopolizes team resources while deliberately defaming her. The United States Badminton Association (USA Badminton) has since launched an investigation into the matter.
From our perspective, the biggest impact of this dispute, aside from damaging both players’ reputations, is on their eligibility for future competitions. With USA Badminton now investigating, the outcome could affect their selection for the World Championships and the Thomas Cup.