Badminton should still be basking in the glow which London 2012 generated around minority sports; instead, players are leaving the system in a manner which resembles rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Jenny Wallwork, England's most-capped female player, is the latest athlete to depart the programme in a move which effectively ends her international career at the age of 26.
Her exit follows that of Imogen Bankier, who returned to Scotland in October claiming that those in charge of the Great Britain programme were unwilling to compromise or listen to her point of view. Wallwork cites almost identical reasons for her departure.
To add to the sport's woes, Kenneth Jonassen, the head coach, has handed in his resignation and will return to his native Denmark in the summer. I had to make this choice, too. I left the GB programme in 2008, following the performance director's insistence that I relocate my training base to the National Centre in Milton Keynes.
Upon reflection, my decision to stay in Glasgow was unquestionably one of the best I have made. The support I received from sportscotland, and my subsequent qualification for the Olympics, justified my decision entirely. But athletes should not be put in a position where they have to make potentially career-ending choices.
Performance directors are paid big bucks to make tough decisions and it must be accepted that their decisions will not always be universally popular. Even so, it is unacceptable for matters to have reached this state of affairs, with Britain's two best female mixed doubles players walking away from the GB programme within four months of each other.
UK Sport has already shown its discontent with badminton's results, with a 20.6% cut in funding announced in December. Yet it appears that there needs to be a radical change in the hierarchy of the sport to halt the worrying decline we are witnessing.
Those at the helm of British badminton have demonstrated that they are totally incapable of running the sport effectively.
One suspects that Captain Mainwaring could do a better job than this lot. It should be noted, however, that the players are not entirely without fault either.
There has been too much infighting over the years to absolve the players of all blame. Wallwork did herself no favours by tweeting her resignation, although it perhaps illustrates the extent to which her relationship with the performance director had broken down that she felt that Twitter was the most appropriate means by which to communicate her decision to him.
I have an element of sympathy with those in charge of the GB programme in Milton Keynes, though.
I have witnessed first-hand the delusions of grandeur possessed by some of the players based there. It cannot be an easy squad of athletes to manage, but manage it they must. You rarely, if ever, hear stories of disquiet emanating from the British Cycling squad, which is the most successful elite training programme that Britain has seen. If there are any issues among the cycling squad members, they are settled in-house and the press and the public are none the wiser.
Bankier and Wallwork have both stated that they felt that their opinions were being disregarded.
There are some rules which must apply to every athlete within the squad irrespective of their achievements, but the senior players must not be dictated to so severely that it results in them walking away entirely, as has happened here.
From a Scottish perspective, the All England Championships provide an opportunity for the players to test themselves at the highest level.
Kirsty Gilmour, Jillie Cooper, Robert Blair and Bankier all play in qualifying rounds today and will be hoping to overcome some stiff opposition to progress through to the main draw which begins tomorrow.
From a wider British perspective, though, it is almost irrelevant how the tournament pans out this week. Those at the head of British badminton have much more pressing problems on their hands which they must address. And soon.
The All England Championships, the jewel in the crown of British badminton, begin in Birmingham today but the focus surrounding the tournament continues to be centred on the infighting and disharmony which seems to plague the sport in the United Kingdom at present.
Badminton should still be basking in the glow which London 2012 generated around minority sports; instead, players are leaving the system in a manner which resembles rats fleeing a sinking ship.
Jenny Wallwork, England's most-capped female player, is the latest athlete to depart the programme in a move which effectively ends her international career at the age of 26.
Her exit follows that of Imogen Bankier, who returned to Scotland in October claiming that those in charge of the Great Britain programme were unwilling to compromise or listen to her point of view. Wallwork cites almost identical reasons for her departure.
To add to the sport's woes, Kenneth Jonassen, the head coach, has handed in his resignation and will return to his native Denmark in the summer. I had to make this choice, too. I left the GB programme in 2008, following the performance director's insistence that I relocate my training base to the National Centre in Milton Keynes.
Upon reflection, my decision to stay in Glasgow was unquestionably one of the best I have made. The support I received from sportscotland, and my subsequent qualification for the Olympics, justified my decision entirely. But athletes should not be put in a position where they have to make potentially career-ending choices.
Performance directors are paid big bucks to make tough decisions and it must be accepted that their decisions will not always be universally popular. Even so, it is unacceptable for matters to have reached this state of affairs, with Britain's two best female mixed doubles players walking away from the GB programme within four months of each other.
UK Sport has already shown its discontent with badminton's results, with a 20.6% cut in funding announced in December. Yet it appears that there needs to be a radical change in the hierarchy of the sport to halt the worrying decline we are witnessing.
Those at the helm of British badminton have demonstrated that they are totally incapable of running the sport effectively.
One suspects that Captain Mainwaring could do a better job than this lot. It should be noted, however, that the players are not entirely without fault either.
There has been too much infighting over the years to absolve the players of all blame. Wallwork did herself no favours by tweeting her resignation, although it perhaps illustrates the extent to which her relationship with the performance director had broken down that she felt that Twitter was the most appropriate means by which to communicate her decision to him.
I have an element of sympathy with those in charge of the GB programme in Milton Keynes, though.
I have witnessed first-hand the delusions of grandeur possessed by some of the players based there. It cannot be an easy squad of athletes to manage, but manage it they must. You rarely, if ever, hear stories of disquiet emanating from the British Cycling squad, which is the most successful elite training programme that Britain has seen. If there are any issues among the cycling squad members, they are settled in-house and the press and the public are none the wiser.
Bankier and Wallwork have both stated that they felt that their opinions were being disregarded.
There are some rules which must apply to every athlete within the squad irrespective of their achievements, but the senior players must not be dictated to so severely that it results in them walking away entirely, as has happened here.
From a Scottish perspective, the All England Championships provide an opportunity for the players to test themselves at the highest level.
Kirsty Gilmour, Jillie Cooper, Robert Blair and Bankier all play in qualifying rounds today and will be hoping to overcome some stiff opposition to progress through to the main draw which begins tomorrow.
From a wider British perspective, though, it is almost irrelevant how the tournament pans out this week. Those at the head of British badminton have much more pressing problems on their hands which they must address. And soon.
