"OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY" TOWARDS 2012 AND BEYOND

"OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY" TOWARDS 2012 AND BEYOND

As we fast approach the second year of the Olympic Games quadrennial cycle, the BWF Development Department hosted a key forum in Lausanne recently with the theme of “Development Solidarity”.

Bring together key stakeholders in the sport from each continent, from BWF Member Associations and experts and practitioners from other sports, Development Committee Chair, David Cabello and Director of Development Gunther Huber hosted 4 days of thought provoking forums, workshops and planning sessions following the key areas of the Development Working Groups:

· Development status of member associations

· School Sport Badminton: to become the best racket sport in schools

· High Performance Systems in Badminton: to create pathways to develop Badminton from grass roots to (inter)-national elite level

· BWF Coach Education programmes: the coach, key of success in sport?

In opening the 4 day session and in welcoming the delegates to Lausanne Andrew Ryan, former BWF Executive Director and current Executive Director of ASOIF, focused on a new trend for the IOC – that of coaches and the important role they play in sport. The IOC which unveiled a new Commission at the Olympic Congress held in Copenhagen in October.

“The IOC has taken the decision to set up a Training and Coaching Commission, thus setting the trend to be followed by the Olympic Movement for the forthcoming years, after having spent many previous years centred on Athletes. This new trend should be watched by IFs which should accordingly give importance to Coach Education in the future” Ryan said.

One of the themes of the four days was coach education and development and the role of this at the various levels within the sport. The status of development of Member Associations and the diversity that exists within badminton worldwide from under developed to highly developed badminton systems was also a fey focus and a key concern of BWF President Dr Kang.

After his re-election in May 2009, BWF President, Dr Kang, reminded the delegates of the importance of development and the importance of this and BWF’s role in developing the sport.

“Development is one area that we want to focus on and we need to look at how to serve the developing and yet to be developed nations better”.

Representatives from Olympic Solidarity made a very informative contribution, explaining how the system of grants works through the National Olympic Committees:

“Any Member Association of Badminton wanting Olympic Solidarity grants should contact with the NOC of its country and apply for it, as it is the only way for an IF to obtain such help.”

The wide panel of experts invited to take part in these meetings from badminton and also from other IFs, such as Archery and Athletics Europe, contributed to the debates, discussions and planning for the future. A long period of work will now begin, to develop collaboration between Member Associations, Continental Confederations and BWF.

“A new era has started which we could call “Badminton Solidarity” and it will take years of careful planning to develop Badminton all over the world with the contribution of all countries and continents. We aim at making our sport one of the most popular and practised worldwide” said David Cabello who will report to the BWF Council and Executive Board in Bali later this month.