Development

It's time for action in Holbæk
The countdown is over!
Date: 9/1/2017 9:10 AM
Published by : Rasmus Bech
Waiting is over. It’s kick off time at BEC Centre of Excellence.

- It was a great training. The first of many!

The words come from Jeroen van Dijk, Centre of Excellence Head Coach. The young talents are listening. It’s their first day at BEC Centre of Excellence in Holbæk, Denmark.

The players have just arrived from all over Europe, and now they are ready for a new life.

- It’s great to be here. I’ve been waiting for this moment, and I like it already. We’ve had a warm welcome from the local community, and I feel very great, Milan Ludík, Czech REP, says after the first training.

Great atmosphere already
Ludík is one of the 16 players who will be part of the news academy of Badminton Europe. Most of the players are arrived in Holbæk one hour outside of the Danish Capital Copenhagen. And it seems like that the group of players are already having a good time.

Gerda Voitechovskaja joins the Centre of Excellence


- It’s a big challenge for me to come here. I’m leaving my family and friends, but it’s easier because all of us are talking together. I’m one of the older players here, so I also try to talk to everybody. It’s important to me, Lithuanian Gerda Voitechovskaja says, and Elias Nicolau from Cyprus agrees:

- We’re like a family already. I like that.

- Setup can make me better
But of course it is not all about fun. It’s about badminton and the ambitions are high among the players.

- I hope that I will be a better player. Kirsty Gilmour is a role model for me and I want to do what she does and I think that this setup can help me on my way to it, Scottish Toni Woods says.

Toni Woods joins the Centre of Excellence


The head coach is watching the players stretch, and he’s happy about the first day of practice.

- It’s clear to see that the players and coaches want to be here. The level is as expected, so I’m very happy, van Dijk says.


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