Former Olympic badminton champion Poul-Erik Hoyer took time to spar with players from the National Intermediate Squad on Wednesday at the Singapore Sports School.

The Dane, who is also the newly-elected president of the Badminton World Federation, made a short stopover in Singapore enroute to Guangzhou where the world championships are ongoing.

He offered the group of 30 words of advice, including an anecdote of how he did not give up on taking part in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta despite suffering an injury shortly before the Games. He won the men's singles title that year.

"Never give up - even if you're behind in a match," he told the young shuttlers.