Brian Agerbak, General Secretary of Badminton Europe, has given an outlook on 2019 regarding the biggest badminton events and highlights that are coming up in Europe.
The new year has just began – and for badminton fans, there is a lot to look forward to.
European and World Top players will come together in Europe to compete against each other at a world-class level. Titles will be won, and exciting matches and skills will be shown on court.
What are the biggest events in 2019?
2019 will be a big year for European badminton. The General Secretary of Badminton Europe, Brian Agerbak, gives an overview of the main events that the Confederation, in cooperation with its Member Associations, is going to host this year:
- The first major event that is coming up very soon, is the European Mixed Team Championships, which will get underway in Copenhagen from 13-17 February. The best eight European teams will take part and I am sure that we will see some fantastic badminton there, he said.
- We are also looking forward to the European Games in Minsk that is coming up in June. The European Games will be hosted for the second time ever in 2019 and will be a world ranking tournament for the first time.
- Talking about world ranking points, starting in May, the qualification period for the Olympic Games in 2020 will also be a big topic.
- The players will be chasing world ranking points to qualify for the Olympic Games and I am sure, we can expect a significant increase in tournament participation across all international tournaments. This will ensure a lot of added excitement on court.
What other highlights can we expect this year?
Next to the action on court, there will also happen a lot of action off court at Badminton Europe in 2019.
- Another highlight for us will be the BEC Congress, including the BEC Gala Awards evening, which will get underway in Kiev at the end of April. The elections for a new BEC President will also take place in Kiev, Agerbak said.
- It is always a huge thing, when there is a change in leadership. I look at this with some ambiguity, but I am certain that there will be a good outcome for the Confederation, he added.
Badminton Europe is steadily working on the development of badminton in Europe to grow the sport.
- All our development activities are ongoing, such as the school project and regional projects. Of course, also our summer school, which will take place in Slovenia in July, is always a nice highlight of the year, Agerbak said.
The world is looking towards Europe
Furthermore, a lot of major badminton tournaments will be hosted in Europe in 2019.
- The World Championships and the Para-World Championships will be hosted in Basel, Switzerland, in August this year. Next to this, there is always the chance to watch the top badminton players at the All England Open, the Denmark Open and the French Open.