Badminton Europe magazine 24 (November 2016) by Badminton Europe

RIO 2016 MO RT EN FROST E NT ER S HAL L O F FA M E

THOMAS CUP MAIDEN EUROPEAN VICT ORY

E U R OP E AN CH A M P I O NSHI P S

Issue 24, November 2016

www.badmintoneurope.com

EDITORIAL

A lot has happened since the last Magazine was published. Most notably of course the 2016 Rio Olympic Games which, from a European perspective, was the best Olympics to date in terms of medals won. Another incredible performance by Carolina Marin meant that she as only the second European, after Poul Erik Høyer, could take back an Olympic Gold Medal. Badminton Denmark brought back 2 medals when Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen clinched silver just barely losing out on gold and with Viktor Axelsen beating no other than Lin Dan to take the bronze. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the tournament was the bronze medal for Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis who pursued their Olympic dream and brought back that invaluable medal to Badminton England. A huge congratulations to all medal winners and their respective Federations as well as to all the players and Federations managing to qualify players to Rio. The European Championships in Vendee region was another highlight for Badminton Europe as the French Badminton Association welcomed players from all over Europe, some still chasing that Olympic dream of qualifying for Rio. Vendespace was the venue located in La Roche Sur Yon which provided the perfect setting for a week of fierce competition. Unfortunately the host ended just outside the medal ranks on this occasion but they won a gold medal for their organization skills. In this magazine you will have a chance to meet Nanna Vainio who is the Chair of the BEC Athletes Commission and consequently a BEC Board Member. We also present to you the latest member of the BEC Hall of Fame. Morten Frost. Certainly this magazine would not be complete without also presenting a piece on the Thomas Cup Victory of Denmark. Finally there is a change to meet our new mascot and to join the competition of finding a suitable name for him / her. I hope you will enjoy reading the 24th European Online Magazine.

Brian Agerbak General Secretary

Imprint: Badminton Europe – Published by Badminton Europe Confederation, Brøndbytoften 14, 2605 Brøndby, Denmark. · Responsible editor: Manuel Rösler, manuel.roesler@gmx.de · Design: Julian Pletz, www.julianpletz.de · Coverphoto: BadmintonPhoto · Photos: pages 6–9: BadmintonPhoto, pages 10–19: BadmintonPhoto, pages 20–21: www.freeimages.com, pages 22–25: BadmintonPhoto, pages 30–31: Mark Phelan, pages 32–37: BadmintonPhoto, pages 38–41: Mark Phelan, pages 42–56: BadmintonPhoto, pages 62–63: BadmintonPhoto

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10 OLYMPIC SUCCESS SIGNALS A SHIFTING OF THE SANDS RI O 2016

THE EUROPEAN STARS ON THE BWF WORLD RANKING

THE GREATEST (BADMINTON) SHOW ON EARTH IN STATS

W O R LD R AN KING

RI O 2016

26 OUTSTANDING RESULTS PRESI DENT ’S WORDS F ROM R I O

28 A GREAT BEC CONGRESS IN SLOVENIA ANNUAL DEL EG AT ES‘ MEET I NG

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30 EUROPE‘S TOP PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS ACKNOWLEDGED IN SLOVENIA 4 T H AWA R D S GALA

38 CORVEE INSPIRES ISSY TO EUROPEAN GLORY 2 016 EUROPEAN C LU B CHAMPI ONSHI PS

46 DENMARK CLINCHES EUROPE‘S MAIDEN TITLE T HOMAS AND UB ER CU P

MORTEN FROST

AXELSEN’S EURO DELIGHT AND MARIN’S CONSISTENCY

A M O ST H U MBLE

2 016 EUROPEAN

NANNA VAINIO

C HAMPI ONSHI PS

I NT ERVI EW

H A LL OF FAMER

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BWF EUROPEAN WORLD RANKINGS MEN’S SINGLES

4 2 5

LEE CHONG WEI Malaysia

JAN Ø. JØRGENSEN Denmark

CHEN LONG China

HANS-KRISTIAN VITTINGHUS Denmark

LIN DAN China

RAJIV OUSEPH England

VIKTOR AXELSEN Denmark

MARC ZWIEBLER Germany

BWF E U R OP E A N W O R LD R AN KINGS 13 October 2016

WOMEN’S SINGLES

16 2 20

CAROLINA MARIN Spain

LINE KJÆRSFELDT Denmark

LI XUERUI China

KARIN SCHNAASE Germany

RATCHANOK INTANON Thailand

LINDA ZETCHIRI Bulgaria

KIRSTY GILMOUR Scotland

BEATRIZ CORRALES Spain

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MEN’S DOUBLES

LEE YONG DAE YOO YEON SEONG Korea

CHAI BIAO HONG WEI China

FU HAIFENG ZHANG NAN China

MATHIAS BOE CARSTEN MOGENSEN Denmark

MADS CONRAD MADS KOLDING Denmark

VLADIMIR IVANOV IVAN SOZONOV Russia

WOMEN’S DOUBLES

MISAKI MATSUTOMO AYAKA TAKAHASHI Japan

TANG YUANTING YU YANG China

JUNG KYUNG EUN SHIN SEUNG CHAN Korea

CHRISTINNA PEDERSEN KAMILLA RYTTER-JUHL Denmark

SELENA PIEK EEFJE MUSKENS The Netherlands

STEFANI STOEVA GABRIELA STOEVA Bulgaria

B WF E U R O P E A N W O R LD R AN KINGS

MIXED DOUBLES

7 2

KO SUNG HYUN KIM HA NA Korea

ZHANG NAN ZHAO YU NLEI China

XU CHEN MA JIN China

JOACHIM FISCHER CHRISTINNA PEDERSEN Denmark

CHRIS ADCOCK GABRIELLE ADCOCK England

ROBERT MATEUSIAK NADIEZDA ZIEBA Poland

Find the complete world rankings on the BWF website at www.bwfbadminton.org BADMINTON EUROPE

Olympic success signals a shifting of the sands Article by Mark Phelan

It is over a month since Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best waved goodbye to Rio after what can only be described as an historic Olympic Games in terms of European badminton success. As Europeans we were cautiously hopeful ahead of the games but to come away with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals was a haul that probably matched the best our collective imaginations could have wished for.

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MAR IN S E C U RE D L E GE N D A RY STAT U S W I T H E X P E C T E D GOL D Just think about it for one moment. At the beginning of April 2014 Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carolina Marin had but one Grand Prix Gold victory to her name. That win came at the London GPG the year after her first Olympic appearance in London 2012. Just a mere two and half years later The Spanish icon has written herself into

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Spanish and European folklore as a double European champion, double World champion, multiple Super Series winner and now the icing on top of the legends cake as 2016 Olympic Champion. Marin came through her group untested as top seed and clearly benefited from a group consisting of just European players, a group where she was head and shoulders above Line Kjaersfeldt and Nanna Vainio. That group cruise not only settled the champion elect it reaffirmed her form as the leading European

especially the victory over Danish number one Kjaersfeldt in two games 21-16, 21-13.

« A PHE NO ME NAL ACHIE VE ME NT F O R A XELS E N I N A WO R LD D O MI NAT E D B Y ASIAN P L AY E RS , A MED AL T HAT IS E VE RY BIT AS IMPRE S S I VE AS MA RIN ’ S W O ME N’S SINGLES G O L D. »

With the group done and dusted, Marin then meticulously dispatched seventh seed Sung Ji Hyun 21-12. 21-16 in the quarter finals. The win over the Korean sending out a clear signal that our European hopes of a gold medal were becoming more realistic with each passing match. Ahead of the games and after the release of the draw the potential semi-final matchup between Marin and arch rival, and let’s remember defending Olympic champion from London, Li Xuerui was always the match which most knowledgeable badminton fans was likely to decide the destination of the gold medal. Marin took the opening game of that match with relative ease 21-14 and even when the Chinese number one sustained a bad knee injury late in the second game it was clear at that point that Marin had the beating of her opponent which out of interest was her third win in a row over the London Olympic champion. A final against India’s Pusarla V Sindu was probably as much of a shock to Marin as it was to the rest of the badminton world but a glance at the Indians results would have both Carolina and her coach Fernando Rivas under no illusions as to the challenge that lay ahead. The Indian had beaten second seed Wang Yihan in the quarter final and the manner of her win over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the semi-final was a clear signal that this Olympic final was going to be balanced on a knife edge. What a match it proved to be. Sindhu took the opening game and at that point looked like a player who was about to shape her own destiny and the destiny of Indian badminton. On any other day against any other opponent the Indian would have won, I am 100% sure of that as she was playing majestically. But on this day she was up against Carolina Marin. A woman who has become the most feared player in modern women’s singles, and a woman that if you needed someone to play for your life, you would pick to play a winner take all set for you. After taking the second game with relative ease Marin sealed her status as a legend of European badminton winning the gold medal with a 21-15 win in the deciding set. AX ELS EN DOES IT TH E H AR D WAY TO C EMENT HI S EUR O NUMB ER 1 S TATUS While Carolina Marin justifiably stole the headlines as an historic Olympic gold medallist, the first since Poul-Erik Høyer‘s gold medal in Atlanta in 1996, the manner in which Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen achieved his men’s singles bronze was as remarkable. Axelsen firstly had to battle through what was the group of death in the men’s singles draw. The Dane had both Boonsak Ponsana and Dong Keun Lee in group L, both world beaters on their day and players of such stature that Axelsen could not afford to be anything under his best starting the tournament. After tearing Ponsana apart in his opening Olympic 2016 match the world number 4 went on to destroy Lee in two games 21-11 21-13 to top the group and advance to the knockout stages. The Dane was equally dominant in the last 16 match against one of his oldest of European rivals and Copenhagen training partners, Ireland‘s Scott Evans. After playing two Asians in the group stages, Axelsen got somewhat fortunate in the knockout stages

O LY M P I C GA M ES coming up against GB’s Rajiv Ouseph in a match that would edge the winner within a whisker of an Olympic medal. Ouseph had beaten seventh seed Tommy Sugiarto in the previous round so once again Axelsen knew that the pressure would be on his shoulders as clear favourite. Pressure is something that Viktor Axelsen has dealt with admirably over the years and the match against Ouseph was to be no different. The Dane came through 21-12, 21-16 to secure a semi-final berth and a chance at a medal. The semi-final line up was a who’s who of badminton luminaries. Arguably the four best players in the world, Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Chen Long and Europe’s own Viktor Axelsen occupied those four spots but with only three podium spots available there was still a mountain to climb for all four. The top half of the draw saw two time champion Lin Dan take on Lee Chong Wei the greatest ever player not to win a major medal. The bottom half had Axelsen pitted against world champion Chen Long of China. Finally, and I think with a global collective sigh of relief Lee Chong Wei got the better of Lin Dan and get that monkey off his shoulder as he headed into the final. From a European perspective and on semi-final day Chen Long was just too good for Viktor Axelsen but at the time the Dane did not know that the Chinese world number one would go on to win gold and yet again consign Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei to silver at yet another Olympics Games. What lay ahead for Axelsen was a bronze medal match against two time Olympic champion Lin Dan, the biggest challenge yet in his short senior badminton

J UH L & PEDER S EN S EIZE S EC OND C H ANC E AF TER GR OUP S C AR E European champions Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen looked to be heading home from Rio earlier than expected after losing their opening group match to the Luo sisters from China. That defeat left the task, not only an uphill one for the Danes, but simply put had to beat number four seeds Jung & Shin of Korea to have any chance of getting out of their group and into the knockout stages. The Danes beat American pair Lee & Obanana to get their first points on the board and when the Chinese Luo sisters were beaten by the Koreans all of a sudden

G O LD

SI LVE R

B RO N ZE

Chen Long

Lee Chong Wei

Viktor Axelsen

(CHN)

(MAS)

(DEN)

Carolina Marin

P. V. Sindhu

Nozomi Okuhara

(ESP)

(IND)

(JPN)

Fu Haifeng / Zhang Nan

Goh V Shem / Tan Wee Kiong

Marcus Ellis / Chris Langridge

(CHN)

(MAS)

(ENG)

Misaki Matsutomo / Ayaka Takahashi

Kamilla Rytter Juhl / Christinna Pedersen

Jung Kyung Eun / Shin Seung Chan

(JPN)

(DEN)

(KOR)

Tontowi Ahmad / Liliyana Natsir

Chan Peng Soon / Goh Liu Ying

Zhang Nan / Zhao Yunlei

(INA)

(MAS)

(CHN)

career. The question was always going to be asked ahead of the match, would the Chinese player, probably the greatest ever exponent of men’s singles on the planet, be bothered about a bronze medal at the Olympic games? A match that stretched to 1 hour and 13 minutes gave us that answer. Lin Dan did indeed want to win and as the match rolled into a deciding game it was really a toss of a coin as to who would go on and claim that podium and medal. In the end it was Denmark’s Axelsen who prevailed. The Dane adding Olympic bronze, probably one of the hardest medals to win in top level badminton, to his European crown and less we forget his world bronze medal from Copenhagen two years ago. A phenomenal achievement for Axelsen in a world dominated by Asian players, a medal that is every bit as impressive as Marin’s women’s singles gold.

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the light at the end of the tunnel to the knock out stages was in sight. In the final group matches the Danes had to beat the Koreans and now with points coming into play the Danes needed the American pair to push the Chinese as hard as possible to send the Chinese out and the Koreans and Juhl/Pedersen through. All the stars aligned for the European champions in those final group matches and when set a task Juhl & Pedersen normally go and deliver. They did just that beating the Koreans in two games and with the Americans taking a fistful of points off the Chinese in a two game loss all conspiring to send the Chinese Luo sisters home and the Koreans and Danes through as first and second in the group even though all ended up with same matches and games won. After a lucky escape in the group the Danes were taken right to the wire in their quarter final match only coming through in three games against Chang & Lee of Korea. Next on the cards was number two seeded Chinese pair Tang Yuanting and Yu Yang, in many’s eyes the favourites for the title. Like the quarter final before Juhl and Pedersen had to draw on their vast experience to come through in three games. 21-19 in the third game in a match that extended to 1 hour 15 mins put the Danes into the final in Rio, guaranteeing themselves a medal after looking dead and buried on day 1. The final proved to be one step to far for the Danes but yet again they proved their worth and proved their dominance from a European perspective in women’s doubles. While the semi-final went their way with that 21-19 deciding set win this time top seeded Japanese stars Matsutomo and Takahashi came out the right side of a 21-19 three setter to claim gold and justify their seeding as favourites. U NLI K E L IE S T ME D A L F R OM U NLI K E L IE S T E U RO PE A N S OU R C E Heading into the Rio Olympics most of the talk was about the selection of Boe and Mogensen over Conrad and Kolding and a side order to that Danish main course was how Ivanov and Sozonov would perform after not playing for over three months together due to injury. The facts were soon to revel themselves, Boe and Mogensen came up short but were competitive and Ivanov and Sozonov surprised everyone winning their group and advancing to the quarter finals. The All England champions had proven their fitness and form and went into the quarter finals as our European hopes for a medal. Yes, there were others and of course Asian pairs were favourites and then making up the numbers after somehow getting through their group were Ellis and Langridge of GB. The Russian challenge was short lived going out in the quarter finals to Chai Biao and Hong Wei of China and with Korean top seeds Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong the door was ajar for someone to emerge from the crowd. Could Malaysian pair Goh & Tan defy the odds and of course Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan of China were now installed as favourites. As a kind of a side show to the main act GB pair Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge had made the semi-final with a win over Endo and Hayakawa of Japan. Ahhh the Brits must have got a

bit lucky there in that match, was probably the subconscious impression of most if we are honest. Anyway semi-final next and the Chinese will put a stop to that run, were probably the honest internal feelings of most. The Chinese did win that semi-final and ultimately went on to win the gold medal but they seriously tested in that match against Langridge and Ellis and all of a sudden there was a collective light bulb moment with the realisation that these likeable lads from England had not only a chance of a bronze medal but had the game and confidence to deliver. Deliver they did on that faithful Thursday in August as from nowhere and with no real expectation the GB pair beat the Chinese duo Chai and Hong in one of the longest matches of the tournament to win bronze, a bronze medal that most of Europe did not see coming. Luckily Langridge and Ellis not only saw it but had the power and belief to go and get it, a medal which was probably the biggest surprise of the badminton tournament in Rio. C H ANGING OF TH E GUAR D WITH EUR OPE NOW A F EAR C ONTINENT All in all, this was a hugely successful Olympic games from a European perspective. Yes, we had our banker medal from Marin and to see GB and Spain now supporting Denmark in the hunt for major medals is a welcome relief as we now have more eggs spread across a greater European basket moving into the next four yearly cycle. Badminton stood out in Rio and as well as medals we had heart-warming performances from many other Europeans. Ireland’s Scott Evans continues to make headlines around the world after his entertaining performances capped off by his #fullevens off the cuff celebrations. Asia now has to be worried and China in particular must be wondering what has happened in just a few short years. Some of the European success has to be attributed to the fact that our European federations now work more closely together to bridge the gap to Asia. Just look at the cross European training camps held before the Olympic where all our top players trained and sparred together. Badminton England even went as far as setting up a semi Olympic scenario in Birmingham to aid all European players. Hat duly tipped to all in Badminton England for organising and offering this experience. There is still a long way to go as four medals from 15, while a huge step forward, is still a measurable way behind Asia in continental terms. But Europe is stepping in the right direction and thanks to Carolina Marin, Viktor Axelsen, Kamilla Rytter Juhl, Christinna Pedersen, Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis there are signs Europe is doing it the right way. More importantly these players continue to inspire so many to keep playing, keep coaching, keep legislating, keep organising, keep collaborating, keep volunteering, keep reporting, to keep moving forward as a continent. Onwards to Tokyo in 2020.

O LY M P I C GA M ES

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RIO 2 01 6 Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carolina Marin made history (again) by becoming the first non-Asian woman to win the Olympic singles gold medal by beating P. V. Sindhu of India. Marin can now add an Olympic title along with her 2014 and 2015 World Championship titles.

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RIO 2 0 16 European Champion Viktor Axelsen celebrated Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s second medal of the Rio tournament by edging twice Olympic champion Lin Dan 15-21 21-10 21-17 in the playoff for bronze.

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S H UTTLE S U S E D IN RIO

2857

MOST SHUT T L E S USED IN A M ATC H

Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan (48 shu t t les)

O LDE ST PLAYE R

Robert Mateusiak of Poland 4 0 y ear s ol d

Y OUNGEST PLAY ER

Soren Opti of Surinam 19 years o ld

LO NG E ST R A LLIE S PE R C ATE G O RY Men’s singles: 97 strokes (100 seconds) • Women’s singles: 50 strokes (89 seconds) • Men’s doubles: 73 strokes (99 seconds) • Women‘s: 106 strokes (109 seconds) • Mixed doubles: 50 strokes (60 seconds)

CHALLENGES PER CAT EGORY Men’s singles: 105 • Women’s singles: 76 • Men’s doubles: 38 Women’s doubles: 33 Mixed doubles: 33

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RIO 2016: The greatest (badminton) show on Earth in stats

PART ICIPANT S

172 86 M ale/ 86 Female

Y E L LO W C A RDS: 2 Chang Ye Na of Korea and Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Johanna Goliszewski

OVERALL TIME OF ALL MATCHES PLAYED IN RIO 156,37 hours (Lo ndo n 2012: 123,68 ho u rs)

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R IO 20 16 Chris Langridge said he felt like a kid at Christmas after helping Great Britain to win a first Olympic badminton medal since 2004. Langridge teamed up with Marcus Ellis to win the men’s doubles bronze, seeing off China’s Biao Chai and Hong Wei 21-18, 19-21, 21-10 at the Riocentro.

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R I O 2 01 6 Silver-winning Danes Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen ended Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s 20-year reign in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s doubles but the gold went to top-seeded Japanese Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo.

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PRESIDENT‘S WORDS FROM RIO

Outstanding results

The road to Rio was a terminology widely used when looking towards the 2016 Olympic Games. In some ways a bumpy road from a European perspective. We all remember Carsten Mogensen’s health issues which occurred during the European Men´s & Women´s Team Championships in Kazan in February 2016. A few months after Ivan Sozonov tore his achilles tendon. The men’s doubles was in advance one of the disciplines were Europe could medal. Now it looked unlikely. I was very pleased to see both Carsten and Ivan compete in Rio but it were Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis who stole the limelight when they brought home an unexpected medal to Team Great Britain. It was an emotional moment. There were tears in the eyes of people around me and I was once again reminded how important these Games are not only for the players but for the whole organization they represent. Carolina did it. She won the gold. I believed she would but there was always this thread of doubt. Could she really continue her dominance in women’s singles with some of her competitors showing great form? She proved she could. She took home that rare gold medal to Europe. Only the second gold medal for Europe since badminton was introduced to the Olympic programme and following in the footsteps of Poul-Erik Høyer. My thoughts went to my two good friends David Cabello and Fernando Rivas who bought have worked tirelessly on turning a medium sized federation into a badminton powerhouse. We came so close to a second gold medal when Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen took on the Japanese favourites. Even if it were silver medals around the neck of these two fantastic

badminton players in the end, they had kept the audience captive for more than an hour with their clever tactics, skillful defense and immense fighting spirit. It was emotional to see our two girls in tears of disappointment but their subtle smiles disclosed that an Olympic silver medal also made them extremely proud. The double Olympic Gold Medalist Lin Dan was a force to be reckoned with. The disappointment of losing out on the third gold medal did not at all demotivate this legend as Viktor Axelsen walked on court for the biggest match of his career, trying to clinch Olympic Bronze against Lin Dan. Viktor lost the first set but won the second set very comfortably. This pattern we have seen before from Lin Dan but I was astonishedby the way Viktor played in the third set. With an outstanding performance he did the unexpected and won the bronze medal and the 4th Olympic medal for Europe. Anamazing achievement for Viktor, who should have many more years to grow into a badminton legend himself. The first steps are already taken. I am very happy and I am proud. Three of our Federations have produced medal winners and proven that we can continuously compete at the highest level. It might have been a bumpy road towards Rio but in the end it was the best Olympics from a European badminton perspective. My personal congratulations to all medal winners, their coaches and support team as well as to the entire organization behind them that made these outstanding results possible. Good luck on the Tokyo Trail. Gregory Verpoorten Badminton Europe President

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A GREAT BEC CONGRESS IN SLOVENIA Annual Delegates‘ Meeting Article by Tania Teoh. Photo by Mark Phelan

People say, „time flies when you are having fun“ and this is no exception at the 2016 BEC Congress. Although the days were long with numerous badminton discussions, meetings and sharing sessions, the four day congress passed by so quickly. In a glimpse of an eye, all the delegates, staff and guests were already back home. The 2016 BEC Congress which consisted of the BEC Members´ Forum, the 49th Annual Delegates´ Meeting, the 4th Awards Gala Evening and the Board of Directors´ Meeting ended on Sunday. Let us take a look at some highlights of the congress: MEM BE RS ‘ F O RU M A total of more than 60 delegates and participants attended the two day forum where multiple badminton related topics were presented by external experts and BEC staff. For the first time ever, a badminton practical session was introduced during the forum this year. Delegates had the chance to show their badminton skills on court, experienced playing badminton on sports wheelchairs and had a great session of ´Fit´minton´. ´I do not play that much badminton these days but I still occasionally try to make time to play. Being able to play here (in Podcetrtek) with our colleagues and sweat it out is a brilliant way to break the ice and socialize with everyone. I enjoyed it a lot,´ said Michael Watt, CEO of Badminton Ireland when asked about how he felt after the practical session.

49 TH ANNUAL DELEGATES ´ MEETING The 49th Annual Delegate´s Meeting (ADM) was attended by 38 Member Associations, BEC Board of Directors, BEC staff and several distinguished guests. The meeting started on time as all the registration was completed before 10:00 am. The ADM started with a welcoming speech by Gregory Verpoorten, BEC President and a report by Brian Agerbak, General Secretary of BEC on the office matters. The BEC Directors then took turns to report on their Commissions. The stage was opened to the floor for questions and comments after completion of every Commission´s report. BEC President, Gregory Verpoorten renewed his mandate until 2019 by acclamation as did Vice President, Andrey Antropov who will remain in office until 2018. During this years´ ADM, an election was also conducted to elect new Directors to join the current BEC Board of Directors. Directors were elected as follow:

Emma Mason (SCO) until 2020 Martin Kranitz (GER) until 2020 Peter Tarcala (SVK) until 2019 Klavs Andreassen (DEN) until 2019

Czech Republic’s capital Prague were confirmed as hosts of the BEC Congress in 2017, when the continental body celebrates its 50th anniversary.

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Jean-Marc Serfaty, Klavs Andreassen, Richard Vaughan, Peter Tarcala, Emma Mason, Martin Kranitz, Lawrence Chew, Ritchie Campbell, Andrey Antropov, Gregory Verpoorten, Joao Matos, Murat Özmekik

„All in all, I am very delighted with the whole congress. The Slovenian organizer and my staff worked very well together. I look forward to seeing everyone again in Prague for BEC´s 50th Anniversary!“ Brian Agerbak, General Secretary of BEC on how he felt about the whole congress.

„I applaud all the delegates for their cooperation and a very productive ADM. The ADM went very well and we managed to cover all the topics in the planned time frame. Congratulations also to the newly elected Directors and I look forward to working with them. Welcome on board and I hope that our Members will continue the great cooperation with us. Plenty has to be done to improve our sport in Europe and with the new Board of Directors, I am positive that our team will only be stronger“, stated Gregory Verpoorten, BEC President.

„It was a pleasure for Marian Stan, Maxim Carpenco and me to meet with everyone here and the other partners at this event. I hope this is just the beginning of a solid relationship between us. Thank you again for the meeting. I hope to be able to cooperate with you (BEC) in the not too distant future.“ Irina Serbina from Moldova.

„Thank you again for all the information provided and your support during my stay in Podcetrtek,“ Matjaz Pecovnik, General Secretary of EUSA.

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„Attending the congress while being the local organizer at the same time was not an easy task. However, we managed to pull through and delivered the congress. I would like to thank BEC for the great co-operation and we look forward to the next projects that will take place in Podcetrtek this year,“ Matevz Srekl, General 29 Secretary of Slovenian Badminton Federation.

4 TH AWARDS GALA Europe‘s top players and officials acknowledged in Slovenia Article by Manuel Rösler

Europe‘s best-performing players, coaches and technical officials of the past year were honoured and the fourth member of the Badminton Europe Hall-Of-Fame was inducted at the 4th BEC Awards Gala, which took place in Podcetrtek, Slovenia.

There was this special moment when one of the most iconic badminton figures of all time entered the stage to receive the - actually his - honour. It was no other than Denmark‘s Morten Frost who was inducted into Badminton Europe‘s Hall Of Fame as its fourth member. Frost joins a legends‘ list that include Erland Kops (Denmark), Gillan Gilks (England) and Lene Koppen (Denmark). Morten Frost won four All England singles titles as well as two European Championships gold medals in the men‘s singles. He also became a two time runner-up in the World Championships, 1985 and 1987. „I had a big will and I hated to lose“ the Danish legend, 58, said in his acceptance speech. Morten Frost received a long standing ovation as he walked his way back to the seat after he revealed his painting and received a certificate from BEC‘s president Gregory Verpoorten.

C AR OLINA MAR IN: F EMALE PLAYER OF TH E YEAR The Best Female Player of the Year title was unsurprisingly awarded to Spanish world champion one Carolina Marin, who not only won her second World Championships gold medal in 2015 but also the Malaysia, French, All-England, Australian and Hong Kong Open Superseries titles. What an amazing year for young Spaniard. But also for her coach Fernando Rivas, who won the inaugural Best European Coach of the Year award. „I would like to thank all the players I have coached throughout the years“, Rivas wrote on his facebook page. „I am privileged to be a badminton coach, this is what I have aways wanted to be, this is what I will be. Coaching is a difficult task, it is not only about the knowledge of the game, its special complexity is about the control of the inner game. Coaches, are more often than not working in the shadows. And although there is no discussion about players being essential, a coach will always be needed.“ The BEC Young Player of the Year 2015 award went to Denmark‘s youngster Anders Antonsen, who showed his big potential last year by winning the European U19 Championships in the men‘s singles. Antonsen also won the Belgium and Dutch International. Denmark‘s men‘s doubles duo of Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen were crowned

BEC Male Players Of The Year 2015, for a second time. The current All-England Champions won the gold medal of the first European Games in the past year. „We are extremely proud to receive this award“, said Mathias Boe while Carsten Mogensen added. „It was not possible for us to make the travel to Slovenia. That is very sad for us. But I hope to be there another year.“ Carsten Mogensen continued his rehabilitation from his brain surgery during the European Team Championships in Kazan and could celebrate a strong comeback a few months later at the Indonesia Open Superseries.. The „Women in Badminton“ Person Of The Year award went to two time World Champion Carolina Marin. The Spanish shuttler and current European Champion inspires young female athletes in so many ways. Bartlomiej Mroz was awarded with the BEC Para-Badminton Player Of the Year Award of 2015. The Pole won the men‘s doubles gold medal at the Para-Badminton World Championships and took titles at the Irish and Peru International. ER NEST RO BINS O N: B E C T E C H N I C A L O FFICIAL O F T HE Y E A R 2 0 1 5 Denmark‘s Gitte Sommer was award BEC European Senior Player Of The Year. Sommer won three gold medals at the World Senior Championships in Sweden. The BEC Technical Offical of The Year award went to Ernest Robinson of France. He has recently retired as a BWF Certificated Referee. Next year‘s Annual Delegates‘ Meeting and the 5th Awards Gala will take place in April 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic. It will be the 50th anniversary of the Confederation.

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ALL WINNER S OF TH E 4 TH AWAR DS GALA European Male Player of the Year 2015 Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen European Female Player of the Year 2015 Carolina Marin European Young Player of the Year 2015 Anders Antonsen European Para-badminton Player of the Year 2015 Bartlomiej Mroz Senior Player of the Year 2015 Gitte Sommer Women in Badminton Award 2015 Carolina Marin Coach of the Year 2015 Fernando Rivas Technical Official of the Year 2015 Ernest Robinson Hall Of Fame Morten Frost

MORTEN FROST A Most Humble Hall of Famer Our reporter Mark Phelan on his personal experience with the new BEC Hall of Famer Morten Frost.

Earlier this year, during the Badminton Europe Awards Gala held in the wonderful resort of Terme Olimia in Podcetrtek, Slovenia, Morten Frost was quiet deservedly inducted into the Badminton Europe Hall of Fame. Mr Badminton, as Frost was known as during his illustrious playing career during the 80’s and early 90’s, became the fourth recipient of the award after other badminton royalties such as Erland Kops, Gillian Gilks and Lene Køppen.

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Morten Frost’s career yielded a vast array of medals and accolades with multiple All England titles as well as European Championship victories and a range of elite circuit titles that any of you who have reached this far in this article will already know about. Yes, that world championship gold eluded him after coming up short in two finals in 1985 and 1987, but that does make him any less a player, man or indeed badminton hero? I think not! Morten Frost’s legacy is set in stone as a fore runner of the modern game and without the influence of Frost we would probably have not have had such greats as Poul-Erik Høyer, Peter Gade and Camilla Martin come along thereafter. I as a young man and before the internet era followed the great Dane as much as I could which was a difficult thing to do in 80’s Ireland. Back then the only topic of conversation was about the state of the economy, rugby, our local national sports or the odd Olympic medal that came our way. Badminton was effectively non-existent from an international knowledge perspective but such was the success and fame of Frost that even I did manage to find out and hear about his exploits and knew of his greatness. While we have had many great players in Europe, it is only a small handful that have also managed to seamlessly move from playing into coaching. Again, Frost managed to do just that. During his reign as Danish head coach, Europe achieved its first Olympic gold medal thanks to Poul-Erik Høyer, a feat only matched by Carolina Marin this year at the Rio Olympics. Add into the mix a bucket load of All England titles

as coach as well as European and World success, it was clear Frost had what it took to be a world class coach and manager. Frost went on to have successful coaching careers in both Malaysia and a stint in South Africa before taking up the reigns again at Malaysia in 2015 to oversee the great Asian nationals assault on the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. What about the man himself? Personally I had never really met the great man prior to this year. I certainly don’t count asking some questions in mixed zones at tournaments as meeting anyone and that was the sum total of my interaction with Mr Frost before this year’s Badminton Europe Awards Gala. A fate would have it I was lucky enough to be left stranded at an Airport in Zagreb this year due to a very slight transport misfortune. Under normal circumstances I would have been forgiven for being slightly irate but on this occasion it was once of the greatest transport misfortunes of my life. Morten Frost arrived on a flight shortly after and as a bunch of important people and myself waited for the next bus to the venue for the Badminton Europe gala awards I ended up in conversation with Morten (I think I can now call him by his first name after finally meeting him) about, you guessed it badminton. We spent about 20 minutes talking about the future and the future of badminton in particular. Anders Antonsen and Jin Wei Goh were discussed and this excited me as the great man was not dwelling on past endeavours but looking to the future.

H A L L O F FA M E During that same weekend I was fortunate to host the Badminton Europe Awards Gala and to be there on the stage when Morten Frost accepted the Badminton Europe Hall of Fame award. Both I and Mr Frost have been around the block a few times and between us we have heard our fair share of sporting acceptance speeches. I am not sure how Morten felt after his speech but for me personally it was one of those great moments when our newest Hall of Famer addressed all the invited guests. This was not a pre meditated, PR spun document that some sports star was reading for the first time. This was a gathering or words from the heart and delivered with feeling by the man who took the time and effort to travel from Malaysia and accept this much deserved award in the most gracious way possible. As an introduction another Badminton Europe great, Mr Torsten Berg referred to him as probably the greatest European men’s singles badminton player of the modern era. A strong a powerful opening line from Mr Berg but one not many could argue against. On that evening in Slovenia, Morten Frost opened by thanking the badminton world and the badminton system and his origins, his club. Badminton, he said thought him everything and badminton was and is his life. He told the story of a rainy day in Copenhagen where he went running with a friend, who was a much better runner than him. After 5km Frost had reached his limit and pushed himself pretty much beyond his capabilities. Like all great athletes Morten Frost found a way to keep going on that cold wet day. He pictured a tree 1 km down the road and when he reached it he pushed himself to visualise another. Tree by tree came and went and eventually when he stopped his friend turned to him and said if you had not of stopped right now I would have. That day proved pivotal for Frost as it proved to him anything is possible. Frost carried that memory for the rest of his career both on and off the court. On that evening in Slovenia, Morten Frost captured the hearts of all gathered just as he had done throughout his career. A most humble man with the humblest of acceptance speeches. A proud Dane and European and a man that today continues to represent his club, town, country and continent as he continues his career in badminton. Mr Frost has left an indelible legacy on and off the court. Personally I have many stand out moments in badminton covering the sport as a clicker and scribbler. Tine winning the All England, Germany winning European women’s team championship in Amsterdam, Carolina & Viktor’s transformation from juniors to seniors and Anders Antonsen’s circuit exploits in 2015 stand out. But the highlight to date has to be that 20 minutes in Zagreb airport talking to Badminton Europe’s newest Hall of Fame recipient Mr Morten Frost. Thank you, Morten!

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« ON T H AT E V E N I N G I N SL OV E N I A , M ORT EN F R OS T C A PT U R E D T HE H E A RT S OF A L L GAT H ER ED JUST AS HE HAD D ON E T H R OU GH OU T HIS CAREER. »

A LAUDATIO TO MORTEN FROST Laudatio by Torsten Berg, former Badminton Europe president. He is probably the greatest men‘s singles player in recent badminton history. And it is a particular pleasure to present to you as the nominee for the Badminton Europe Hall of Fame 2016 a gentleman that I have known well for so many years. I met him in 1972. Coaching the Sjælland junior squad, an u. 14 boy challenged me to a match in the afternoon break. Still playing in the Danish first league those days I won the first game, but then the skillful boy had figured me out, played all my weak points and easily won in three – already at that young age his ability to analyze the opponent and adapt his game was extraordinary! That boy was indeed special. He went on to break through the Danish scene in 1978, winning the national men‘s singles title, beating both the reigning World Champion Flemming Delfs and WC 77 runner-up, legendary Svend Pri. A technically very skilled player, his strength was this ability to analyze and adapt his game. To work the weak points of his opponent, with patience. Not having a great powerful smash, but with non-equaled will power. Hating to lose, he NEVER gave up. Quite often he won, even if he trailed far behind in the last game. The All England was HIS scene in the 1980’s. Eight years consecutively he reached the finals. The first victory came in 1982 and was followed by three more, in 84, 86 and 87 – and the other four years he was runner-up. For a decade, he was the world’s best and most winning player, winning numerous

international titles, such as the Denmark Open 8 years out of 9 in the 1980’s. Yes, you are right – we speak about MORTEN FROST, the new name in the BEC Hall of Fame. And twice Morten was ever so close to win the World Champion title – in Calgary in 1985, where Han Jian caught up with his lead in the 3rdgame, and in Beijing two years later, where he fought back, against the wind and 16.000 enthusiastic Chinese supporters, from down 1-10in the 3rd game to 12-13 against Yang Yang, only to have a close and crucial line call against him. Morten dominated the European Championships in the 1980’s, too. Runner up in Groningen 1980, where he and Flemming Delfs played a great final – perhaps the best European final so far, and Flemmings’ last great final. Away because of a contract issue in 1982, he came back winning in 1984 in Preston and again in Uppsala 1986, to come second to Darren Hall in Kristiansand 1988. A true gentleman on and off court, always controlling his strong temper throughout his career, Morten was a true asset to the game when he played. After retiring he has been coaching and mentoring in Denmark and abroad, in Malaysia in particular. We are fortunate still to have Morten Frost around the courts where the most important matches are played. Moreover, Morten nowadays uses his analytical skills as ahighly appreciated tv commentator – to the benefit of telespectators worldwide watching badminton.

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CORVEE INSPIRES ISSY TO EUROPEAN GLORY 2016 European Club Championships Article and photos by Mark Phelan

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ISSY LES MOULINEAX (FRA)â&#x20AC;&#x192; BADMINTON EUROPE

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Lucas Corvee proved to be the hero of the European Club Championships‘ finals day for Issy Les Moulineaux winning both his men’s singles and a classic men’s doubles alongside Geatan Mittelheisser as the French outfit stormed to the European club title, their first since 2006 victory in Spain. Corvee had been in sparkling form all week in Tours leading from the front in both men’s singles and men’s doubles. The French singles star needed to be at his best once again after his side lost the opening match of the tie going down in the mixed doubles. Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba beat Gaetan Mittelheisser and Audrey Fontaine putting a huge significance on Corvee’s singles against Thomas Rouxel of Chambly. Rouxel put up a brave fight, considering he did not play all week due to a niggling foot injury and took Corvee to three games before the Issy man took control of the deciding game after the interval to give his team the point they needed to level the match up. As expected Beatriz Corrales did as she has done all week and claimed yet another women’s singles point for her team beating the brave Kate Foo

Kune in two games. Corrales speed was too much for the French based Mauritian giving the French champions a second point and needing just one of the remaining two doubles to lift the title that has eluded them for the past four years. C LAS S IC MEN’ S DOUB LES PUT IS S Y IN DR IV ING S EAT The fourth match on court was the men’s doubles battle between Bastian Kersaudy & Robert Mateusiak for Chambly and Gaetan Mittelheisser & Lucas Corvee for Issy Les Moulineaux. What a match it proved to be! The momentum ebbed and flowed continuously and Chambly looked to be heading to the title with Mateusiak and Kersaudy leading 7-1 and 13-9 in the deciding game. Solid defence and sparkling attack saw the Issy men Mittelheisser and Corvee go on a run of 7 unanswered points after the interval to lead 19-14 and from there, there was no way back for the Chambly pair. Issy went on to take the men’s doubles 21-17 in the deciding set to level the tie at 1-1 and send the match into a deciding women’s doubles Issy Les Moulineaux were clear favourites in that deciding women’s doubles with Stefani and Gabriela Stoeva the ones

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handed the task of bringing the title back to Paris. Against them was Zieba and Corrales and in truth the Chambly pair made life extremely difficult for Europe’s third ranked pairing from Bulgaria. After taking the opening game 21-11 the Stoeva’s were pushed to dig deep in the second game before sealing the title with a 21-18 win. With match point secured the Issy team stormed to court in celebration and did their own version of the haka in celebration. Speaking after their triumph Issy pair Corvee and Mittelheisser were obviously delighted with their achievement. “This is a great victory for our club” said Mittelheisser “We knew that we had to win that men’s doubles but we also knew we could win it and once we had that point we were all fully confident Gabi & Sisi (Stoeva sisters) would finish off the job” said Lucas Corvee Issy Les Moulineaux are the new champions of Europe with BC Chambly Oise once again having to settle for silver. Congratulations to all medallists and to CEST tour for hosting a magnificent event for the past two years.

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EUR OPEAN C LUB C H AMPIONS H IPS R ES ULTS GO L D

Issy Les Moulineax (FRA)

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BC Chambly Oise (FRA)

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Primorye Vladivostok (RUS)

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Recreativo Ies Les Orden (ESP) 41

2016 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

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Axelsen’s Euro delight and Marin’s consistency Article by William Kings

Viktor Axelsen, the bronze medallist at the 2012 and 2014 championships, came out on top with a dominant performance against Danish team-mate and defending champion Jan O Jorgensen on finals day of this 25th edition of the European Championships but the first in France at La Roche sur Yon. The 22-year-old led all the way in the first game and took charge of the second after recovering from 5-2 down to lead 9-5 then never looked back after that. He said: “I am really, really happy because after the first round I had one leg out of the tournament. (In the end he overcame French wild card Lucas Claerbout in their second-round contest 23-21 16-21 22-20 in a 65-minute duel). Of the finals triumph he said: “I am really happy with the way I managed to cope with the pressure. If I had to play at this level just once in a tournament I am pretty happy that I did it. It’s a big thing for me to win the European Championships.”

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Another 22-year-old took the women’s singles title as defending champion and double World champion Carolina Marin of Spain denied Kirsty Gilmour Scotland’s first ever gold medal. Gilmour, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist, struggled to contain Marin early on –“she always starts at a million miles an hour” – but the Glasgow star, who will lead the home challenge at next year’s TOTAL BWF World Championships in August 2017, wasn’t going to go down quietly. She recovered to lead 11-9 at the second game interval only for Marin to hit her with a five-point surge to move away for victory after 43 minutes. The red strapping on her left shoulder was obviously a precaution after yesterday’s semi-final concerns over it but it didn’t hinder her today in the only final where Denmark weren’t featured. But Gilmour at least had the satisfaction of winning Scotland’s first ever European silver medal.

Marin said: “Today is mother’s day and my mum is here so I just want to dedicate the medal to her. It’s so important to have family behind you. “It was a tough match but I knew if I played faster I could control the game. The second set she came back stronger but after the break I kept my mind relaxed.” SU CCE S S FU L T I T L E D E F E N C E B Y J OA C H I M FISC HE R AND C HR I ST I N N A PE D E R S E N But it wasn’t just a day for the youngsters. Joachim Fischer gave Denmark their first gold of four when the 37-year-old and 29-year-old mixed doubles partner Christinna Pedersen ground out a successful defence of their title when the top seeds came from behind to beat the No. 8 seeds and team-mates Niclas Nohr and Sara Thygesen. The defending champions were forced to contest the longest match of Championship week before they finally got the better of Nohr and Thygesen after 78 minutes. The younger Danes took the first game 21-19 and another excitable crowd started to imagine an upset when they led 6-3 in the second before Fischer and Pedersen started to get their game going by surging from 8-7 to 18-7 on the way to squaring the match. In the decider the underdogs were again back in charge at 10-5 but once Fischer and Pedersen were level at 10-10 you sensed the tide was finally turning. And a jubilant Fischer warned the youngsters coming through: “There are a

few more years left in us yet,” certainly mindful that the next Europeans will be in the Danish city of Kolding from April 25-30 next year. Pedersen hadn’t too much time to celebrate as she was back on court for the women’s doubles an hour later with 32year-old Kamilla Rytter Juhl to take on Selena Piek and Eefje Muskens, the Dutch bronze medallists behind the defending champions two years ago in Kazan. Juhl was chasing her fourth women’s doubles title and her third with Pedersen to go with her two mixed doubles successes. Pedersen was looking to add another women’s doubles gold to her second mixed doubles win. And after 48 minutes the Danes came out on top to ensure they would finish the day with four gold medals. Juhl and Pedersen won 21-18 21-17 in 48 minutes. The Dutch pair had their chances in the first when they led 18-15 before being reined in. In the second game the Danes trailed at 8-6 but turned that into an 11-8 lead at the interval and stayed in front until the finish line. All that remained was for Denmark to settle the battle for gold and silver in the men’s doubles when second seeds Mads Kolding and Mads Conrad faced fourth seeds and team-mates Kim Astrup and Andres Skaarup. It was Kolding and Conrad who came from behind to win 14-21 21-18 21-13, finshing the Championships with the second longest match at 71 minutes.

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T HE FI NAL S :

TH E MEDALS :

Men’s singles Viktor Axelsen (Den) – Jan O Jorgensen (Den) 21-11 21-16

Men’s singles

Women’s singles Carolina Marin (Esp) – Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) 21-12 21-18 Men’s doubles Mads Conrad & Mads Kolding (Den) – Kim Astrup & Anders Skaarup (Den) 14-21 21-18 21-13 Women’s doubles Christinna Pedersen & Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) – Eefje Muskens & Selena Piek (Ned) 21-18 21-17 Mixed doubles Joachim Fischer & Christinna Pedersen (Den) – Niclas Nohr & Sara Thygesen (Ned) 19-21 21-13 21-17

Gold: Viktor Axelsen (Den) Silver: Jan O Jorgensen (Den) Bronze: Rajiv Ouseph (Eng), Marc Zwiebler (Ger) Women’s singles Gold: Carolina Marin (Spa) Silver: Kirsty Gilmour (Sco) Bronze: Line Kjaersfeldt (Den), Anna Thea Madsen (Den) Men’s doubles Gold: Mads Conrad & Mads Kolding (Den) Silver: Kim Astrup & Anders Skaarup (Den) Bronze: Vladimir Ivanov & Ivan Sozonov (Rus), Marcus Ellis & Chris Langridge (Eng) Women’s doubles Gold: Kamilla Juhl & Christinna Pedersen (Den) Silver: Eefje Muskens & Selena Piek (Ned) Bronze: Maiken Fruergaard & Sara Thygesen (Den), Samantha Barning & Iris Tabeling (Ned) Mixed doubles Gold: Joachim Fischer & Christinna Pedersen (Den) Silver: Niclas Nohr & Sara Thygesen (Den) Bronze: Jacco Arends & Selena Piek (Ned), Matthias Christensen & Lena Grebak (Den)

The 2017 European Championships will be in the Danish city of Kolding in week 17 (April 25–30) next year.

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DENMARK CLINCHES EUROPEâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;S MAIDEN TITLE 46

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Thomas and Uber Cup BADMINTON EUROPE

Article by Manuel Rösler Let‘s go back into the rich history of European badminton: There is of course Poul-Erik Høyer‘s gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1996, there is Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms‘ silver medal in Athens, the legacy of icons like Erland Kops, Morten Frost and Peter Gade. Not to forget the three All-England crowns of Tine Baun, the double world champion Lene Køppen and Camilla Martin‘s triumph at home in 1999. And most recently we have the Spanish sensation Carolina Marin, who won the World Championships gold medal 2014, 2015 and the Olympic gold medal in Rio. And on Sunday, 23 May 2016, there was another piece of history written by Europe‘s powerhouse of badminton, Denmark. And it is not an exaggeration to say that Denmark created sports history by clinching their first Thomas Cup title.

Denmark beat Indonesia 3-2 in the final of the Thomas Cup at the Kunshan Sports Centre. It is the first time a European country has lifted the prestigious Cup since the tournament‘s inception in 1949. Denmark, fielding their strongest lineup, drew first blood through Viktor Axelsen who saw off Tommy Sugiarto 21-17, 21-18 in the opening men‘s singles match. MATC H WINNER H ANS -K R IS TIAN V ITTINGH US … AGAIN Record champions Indonesia (13 titles), quickly drew level through Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan who chalked up a 21-18, 21-13 win over Mads Conrad and Mads Kolding. Former European Champion Jan Ø. Jørgensen, who was rested in the semi-final tie against Malaysia on Friday, put Denmark ahead again when he beat Anthony Ginting 21-17, 21-12.

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« WE ARE GOI N G T O C E L E B R AT E W I T H L OT S OF B E E R S, C H A M PA GN E , S H OU T I N G A N D DANCING »

Indonesia, who boast better doubles dragged the tie into the deciding match when 2015 Sea Games gold medallist Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi won 21-16, 21-14 against Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. Experience and sheer determination won it for the Danes in the end when world No 13 Hans Kristian Vittinghus beat Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21-15, 21-7. JAN Ø. JØ RG E NS E N : AN UNRE AL E X P E RIE N C E „I appreciate what my team members did to put me in the best position. I think I played one heck of a match. It’s a wonderful feeling to be in now ... to bring the Thomas Cup back to our country“, says Hans-Kristian Vittinghus to Malaysian newspaper „TheStar“. “We are going to celebrate with lots of beers, champagne, shouting and dancing,” said an emotional Jan Ø. Jørgensen. “It’s an unreal experience for us. Everyone put up a tremendous effort this week and we came through tough moments. It was team effort that brought us this success,” added Jørgensen.

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DENMAR K – INDONES IA

Viktor Axelsen – Tommy Sugiarto 21:17 21:18 Mads Conrad/Mads Kolding – Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan 18:21 13:21 Jan Ø. Jørgensen – Ginting Anthony 21:17 21:12 Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen – Angga Pratama/Ricky Karanda Suwardi 16:21 14:21 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus – Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21:15 21:7

THOMA S A N D U B ER CU P Hans-Kristen Vittinghus beat Ihsan Maulana Mustofa 21–15, 21–7 as Denmark defeated Indonesia 3–2 to claim its first Thomas Cup title. It’s a European first as well. The Danes, eight-time runners-up, had lost four previous finals to Indonesia.

COPNI C IN TETU NRTE S

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T OUR N A M E N T R ES U LTS 2016 S W I S S I NT E RN AT I ON A L MS: SAM PARSONS (ENG) – ARTEM POCHTAROV (UKR) 21:8 21:17 WS: SABRINA JAQUET (SUI) – LEE YING YING (MAS) 16:21 21:19 21:15 MS: GOH SZE FEI/NUR IZZUDDIN (MAS) – AARON CHIA/WONG WAI JUN (MAS) 21:18 21:12 WD: CHERYL SEINEN/IRIS TABELING (NED) – AMELIA ALICIA/MEI XING (MAS) 13:21 22:20 21:10 XD: OLIVER SCHALLER/CELINE BURKART (SUI) – THOM GICQUEL/DELPHINE DELRUE (FRA) 21:17 10:21 21:19 2016 BABO L AT BU L GA R I A N I N T E R N AT I ON A L C HAMPIONS H IPS MS: DANIEL NIKOLOV (BUL) – BEN TORRANCE (SCO) 21:14 21:18 WS: PANUGA RIOU (ENG) – LYDDIA YI YU CHEAH (MAS) 21:15 21:16 MD: DANIEL NIKOLOV/IVAN RUSEV (BUL) – MUHAMMED ALI KURT/MERT TUNCO (TUR) 21:13 21:18 WD: BUSRA YALÇINKAYA/FATMA NUR YAVUZ (TUR) – LYDDIA YI YU CHEAH/GRACE KING (MAS/ENG) 21:17 21:17 XD: MELIH TURGUT/FATMA NUR YAVUZ (TUR) – BEN STAWSKI/LUBOMIRA STOYNOVA (ENG/BUL) 21:13 21:16 45 T H FZ F O RZ A P RAG U E OPE N 2 0 1 6 MS: PABLO ABIAN (ESP) – FABIAN ROTH (GER) 10:21 21:17 21:15 WS: NATALIA KOCH ROHDE (DEN) – METTE POULSEN (DEN) 21:10 21:15 MD: LU CHING YAO/YANG PO HAN (TPE) – MATHIAS BAY–SMIDT/FREDERIK SØGAARD (DEN) 21:17 20:22 21:15 WD: LAUREN SMITH/SARAH WALKER (ENG) – MARIYA MITSOVA/PETYA NEDELCHEVA (BUL) 21:12 21:18 XD: MATHIAS BAY–SMIDT/ALEXANDRA BOJE (DEN) – VASILY KUZNETSOV/EKATERINA BOLOTOVA (RUS) 21:19 21:15 2016 VARCO L O R P OL I SH I N T E R N AT I ON A L C H A MPIONS H IPS MS: VICTOR SVENDSEN (DEN) – SOURABH VARMA (IND) 29:27 21:13 WS: RITUPARNA DAS (IND) – RASIKA RAJE (IND) 11:21 21:7 21:17 MD: LU CHING YAO/YANG PO HAN (TPE) – CHRISTOPHER COLES/GREGORY MAIRS (ENG) 21:16 21:9 WD: SANJANA SANTOSH/ARATHI SARA SUNIL (IND) – NATALYA VOYTSEKH/YELYZAVETA ZHARKA (UKR) 19:21 21:19 21:14 XD: MIKKEL MIKKELSEN/MAI SURROW (DEN) – PAWEL PIETRYJA/ANETA WOJTKOWSKA (POL) 21:19 21:12 2016 YO NE X BE L G IA N I N T E R N AT I ON A L MS: LUCAS CORVEE (FRA) – SOURABH VARMA (IND) 21:19 21:19 WS: SONIIA SU/YA CHEAH (MAS) – SOFIE HOLMBOE DAHL (DEN) 21:11 16:21 21:16 MD: LU CHING YAO/YANG PO HAN (TPE) – FREDERIK COLBERG/RASMUS FLADBERG (DEN) 21:13 21:13 WD: CHLOE BIRCH/LAUREN SMITH (ENG) – JULIE FINNE–IPSEN/RIKKE SØBY HANSEN (DEN) 24:22 18:21 21:18 XD: RONAN LABAR/AUDREY FONTAINE (FRA) – ALEXANDER BOND/DITTE SØBY HANSEN (DEN) 21:19 21:14 2016 YO NE X S L O VA K OPE N MS: MATTHEW CARDER (SCO) – IVAN RUSEV (BUL) 11:6, 11:7, 11:6 WS: NATALYA VOYTSEKH (UKR) – PRISKILA SIAHAYA (INA) 11:9, 11:3, 10:12, 13:11 MD: LUKASZ MOREN/WOJCIECH SZKUDLARCZYK (POL) – JAKUB BITMAN/PAVEL DRANCAK (CZE) 11:8, 11:8, 11:5 WD: MARIYA MITSOVA/PETYA NEDELCHEVA (BUL) – VLADYSLAVA LESNAYA/DARYA SAMARCHANTS (UKR) 11:5, 11:4, 11:3 XD: JAKUB BITMAN/ALZBETA BASOVA (CZE) – MIHA IVANIC/NIKA ARIH (SLO) 12:10, 11:4, 11:6

BADMINTON EUROPE

JÃ&#x2DC;RGENSEN AND AXELSEN ARE BIG-HITTERS

BWF

Lee Chong Wei has recorded the fastest smash in Men’s Singles for all MetLife BWF World Superseries events since September last year. The Malaysian World No.2 topped the list with a 408kph missile at the Yonex-Sunrise Hong Kong Open 2015, which he won. The smash speeds were recorded by Hawk-Eye Innovations, which provides instant-review services at MetLife BWF World Superseries and Major Events for BWF.

M E N’ S S INGLES

WOMEN’ S S INGLES

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) 408 kph (Hong Kong Open 2015)

Ratchanok Intanon (Thailand) 372 kph (Malaysia Open semi-finals)

Jan Ø. Jørgensen (Denmark) 407 kph (Malaysia Open 2016)

Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Taipei) 360 kph (All England quarter-finals)

Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) 404 kph (Yonex Open Japan 2015)

Wang Yihan (China) 359 kph (Malaysia Open semi-finals)

Parupalli Kashyap (India) 401 kph (Yonex Open Japan 2015)

Saina Nehwal (India) 357 kph (All England 2nd round)

Lin Dan (China) 401 kph (Yonex Open Japan 2015)

Carolina Marin (Spain) 356 kph (All England semi-finals)

Denmark’s Jan Ø. Jørgensen nearly equalled Lee Chong Wei’s pile-driver with a 407kph hit in the semi-finals of the Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open this year. Another big-hitter was Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, who smacked a 404kph shuttle in the Yonex Open Japan last year. Close behind was India’s Parupalli Kashyap (401kph), also in the same tournament. Five-time World champion Lin Dan recorded a 401kph smash in the Yonex Open Japan 2015, which he won. Others who went over 390kph were Japan’s Kento Momota, Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Vittinghus, India’s Ajay Jayaram, China’s Tian Houwei, Korea’s Son Wan Ho, Japan’s Sho Sasaki and China’s Chen Long.

Kento Momota (Japan) 399 kph (Yonex Open Japan 2015)

Akane Yamaguchi (Japan) 352 kph (Yonex Open Japan 2015)

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) 397 kph (Hong Kong Open 2015)

PV Sindhu (India) 349 kph (Denmark Open 2015)

Ajay Jayaram (India) 397 kph (Korea Open 2015)

Nozomi Okuhara (Japan) 347 kph (Yonex Open Japan 2015)

Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Denmark) 398 kph (All England 2016)

Busanan Ongbumrungpan (Thailand) 343 kph (All England 2nd round)

In Women’s Singles, Intanon’s 372kph rocket was ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying (360kph) and China’s Wang Yihan (359kph).

Chen Long (China) 39 2kph (Dubai World Superseries Finals 2015)

The data shows that, while the men routinely smash over 390kph, the women aren’t too far behind. Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon delivered the hardest blow in Women’s Singles, clocking 372kph in the semi-finals of the Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open this year, the second in her hat-trick of World Superseries titles which included the Yonex-Sunrise India Open and the OUE Singapore Open.

Tian Houwei (China) 395 kph (All England 2015 semi-final) Son Wan Ho (Korea) 394 kph (Singapore Open 2016 final)

Kento Momota (Japan) 390 kph (India Open quarter-finals) Sho Sasaki (Japan) 390 kph (All England 2nd round)

INTERVIEW

« We want to improve the communication between players and BEC » Article by Manuel Rösler

We spoke to Finnish international Nanna Vainio (25) who was elected Chair of the new BEC Athletes’ Commission.

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BADMINTON EUROPE

« I W OU L D L I KE T O S E E M OR E PE R S ON A L BRAND I N G I N OU R S PORT AND M A KE T H E M E D I A M O RE IN T E R E ST E D I N T H E IND I V I D U A L PL AY E R »

Nanna, what was your personal ambition to run for the BEC Athletes‘ Commission? Myself I am very interested in development of opportunities for players from various national (country), economical and social backgrounds. Badminton being a sport where the Federations have a big say, this leaves very few options for those players who are not playing under their national federations. I want to help developing paths and opportunities for those players who have chosen to do it some other way. Personally I am very excited about the BEC Centre of Excellence. I think it is a great project, offering opportunities for players who want to reach the standard to qualify for the Olympic Games under a structured and professional approach. I am also somewhat interested in female questions. Currently we have contacted BWF about the unequal number of participants in the singles events in the World Championships. I hope this is something we can influence and make a difference in.

Please tell us the most important tasks as chair of the BEC Athletes’ Commission. Overall, me and my team are really trying to aid the communication between BEC and the players. As the chair, I am mostly the one who is making contact with BEC or outside stakeholders. Moreover, I am a member of the BEC Commission Board, which gives me access to various inside information. This information I then communicate to the other commission members so that they also know what is going on. We then discuss the issues with my team and try to come with inputs or ideas.

What would you like to see changed in international badminton?

INT E R V I E W BEC Athletes' Commission Chair BEC Board Member

Nanna Vainio Get 1. January 2016 – 1. January 2020

E-mail I would want to see less emphasis on the countries where the players are coming from and more emphasis on the individual player. To be specific, I would like to see more personal branding in our sport and make the media more interested in the individual player.

What are the main ideas for the Commission to bring forward in the next years? It is hard to tell, but we have some ideas on what we would like to achieve. Working towards individual entries with the BWF commission – players being allowed to enter tournaments themselves – and succeeding in getting those would be a great achievement. Personally I am looking forward to the Centre of Excellence and to see if the other development goals that we have been putting forward can be achieved.

Do you still play international? Yes, I am. However, I am participating in less tournaments this season and instead focusing on training and a little bit on my professional career afterwards.

nanna.vainio@badmintoneurope.com

Commission Member

Selena Piek 1. January 2016 - 1. January 2020

Commission Member

FACTS

Nanna Vainio Finnland (Ekenäs) 29 May 1991 National Champion 2009, 2010 & 2011

BADMINTON EUROPE

Ernesto Velazquez 1. January 2016 - 1. January 2020

BEC‘S WOMEN IN BADMINTON IN A NUTSHELL

Badminton Europe (BEC) kick started the „Women in Badminton“ initiative in 2010 but it was not until July 2015 where the very first Women in Badminton Commission was established. The objectives of this commission are:

Irina Serbina

Charlotte Malmroes

Sashina Vignes

Emma Mason

• to strengthen and establish the role of women in the European badminton community • to encourage the development of female representation in all Member Associations

Stefani Stoeva • to make recommendations to the BEC Board of Directors in terms of providing new ideas, solutions and inspiration. The current commission consists of five members, chaired by one of Badminton Europe‘s Director, Mr. Jean-Marc Serfaty. This commission meets at least two times a year for thorough discussions and sharing of ideas around the participation of women in badminton around Europe.

Cornelia Schröder

Xu Huaiwen WO M E N I N T HE S POT L I GH T The „Women in the Spotlight“ project is one of the many BEC promotion projects combined with the “Women in Badminton“ Commission. This project showcases a variety of women participation in badminton from various fields. These inspirational ladies come from very different backgrounds but they all have one thing in common – their love for BADMINTON. BEC spoke to elite players, international technical officials, multi-talented sports administratos and also dedicated coaches from all over Europe.

To read more about these inspirational ladies, click here: http://badmintoneurope.com/cms/?&pageid=21091 To know more about Women in Badminton, contact Tania Teoh at tania.teoh@badmintoneurope.com

TOTAL BWF BADMINTON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS CO N TE N T

GLASGOW SCOTLAND

2017

21 – 27 August 2017 Emirates Arena

The World’s best are coming. Tickets on sale NOW.

GLASGOW2017.COM BADMINTON EUROPE

COMPETITION

Name our BEC Mascot Badminton Europe is proud to present our mascot. Its design was chosen by our Board of Directors from an official competition which ended January 2016. The winning mascot made its debut at the 2016 European Championships in Tours in June. But we still do not have an official name for the mascot; This is where we need your help! Do you have a great idea for a name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; then share your suggestion on Facebook or Twitter using #BECmascot Also tell us why your suggestion is the best. Our Board of Directors will vote to decide the winner. Deadline: December 1st, 2016 We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see what you come up with! #BECmascot

TON DMIN EX A B N A WIN M YO O R F ET RACK

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BADMINTON EUROPE

CAROLINA MARIN 115.000

5 SUPERSERIES TITLES

110.000 117.000

1 23

HIGHEST WORLD RANKING

YEARS OLD

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP T ITLES

NATIONALITY:

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2 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

1.72 HEIGHT

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL

SPAIN BADMINTON EUROPE

EUROPEAN BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

KOLDING 2017