Read more on the U17 training camp hosted and organised by the Badminton Federation of Albania in collaboration with North Macedonia and Romania.
From July 17 to 20, Albania hosted a U17 training camp together with North Macedonia and Romania in Korçe, a city known for its history and culture located in south-eastern Albania. A total of 10 girls, six boys, and four coaches took part in the training camp.
A push to give your 100%
After assessing the players’ level, the 16 players were split into two groups for the training sessions. “After the first training session, we had the coaches meeting to discuss the level of the players and decide on how to improve their self-learning while pushing them to give their 100% on court. We split the players into two different groups depending on their level of technical skills. The training sessions consisted mainly of tactics, technics, and footwork”, coach Corina Dan from Romania explained.
The Badminton Federation of Albania involved the local authorities, local schools, and local Physical Education teachers. Local sponsors gave their support and helped organise the camp. Four TV channels came at the end of the camp’s tournament to interview the coaches and organisers.
The hosting federation organised a tournament at the end of the camp, which was named after the former Albanian player, Ida Pili, who tragically passed away a few years ago.
Huge opportunity to improve
The participating players found the training camp useful and liked the exercises as well as the activities which weren’t badminton related. “The exercises helped us improve our badminton skills. Some were tiring, but they have helped us to improve our physical condition. The side activities were great and fun”, said Albanian player Amelia Vani. “We did exercises we've never done before and it helped us improve our game.”
“The training hall was great. We also went to the swimming pool and it was awesome. I’m happy that we got to know new people and made new friends in this training camp”, Romanian player Cristina Sirbu said.
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