LONDON (Dispatches) - Olympic medallists Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis say the Badminton England set up is “hostile” and players fear speaking out about their concerns.
The pair, who won men’s doubles bronze at Rio 2016, were controversially overlooked for Tokyo 2020, with lower-ranked duo Ben Lane and Sean Vendy selected instead.
Ellis, who will compete in the mixed doubles with Lauren Smith, described their Olympic preparations as “garbage” because of the fall-out.
Langridge said he feels they have been “stabbed in the back” by the governing body.
“Myself and Marcus have been treated like dirt,” Langridge, 36, told BBC Sport.
“We’re the Olympic bronze medallists, the reigning European Games and Commonwealth champions, are ranked higher [than Lane and Vendy] and we still haven’t received any verbal communication [from Badminton England] regarding the selection.”
Ellis, 31, added: “All the athletes prepping for the Olympics are now in this hostile, tepid environment where half of us can’t even communicate with one another because the waters are that muddied.”
In a statement GB Badminton, which effectively encompasses Badminton England during an Olympic year, said: “We sincerely regret that the selection process has taken us down this path.