After a week of badminton entertainment in the form of the European Men’s and Women’s Team Championships, we get the reaction of Badminton Europe General Secretary, Brain Agerbak, who proudly states.
-It has been a fantastic event. It is a huge event to organise with 62 teams and the U15 European Championships playing at the same time. I think it really has been a festival of badminton, having both the elite and U15 player together here. There has been great organisation by the French badminton association, which is very pleasing.
The atmosphere has been great all week
The Arena Stade Couvert was an excellent location for last week’s spectacle, which many fans came to see. Commenting on this, Agerbak says.
-It is a huge venue. I think it has been built up in a fantastic way that really suits the competition. I am not too surprised with the number of spectators here in France, because they are known for having good crowds supporting their events. I was very pleased to see that many schools came in the earlier days. The atmosphere has been great all week actually.
Medals for the first time
In the women’s team championship, Scotland and hosts France came away with medals for the first time. In the men’s event, Russia and the Netherlands also secured medals for the first time. Agerbak discusses what stood out from these results.
-Scotland impressed me with their women’s team. They played better across the team than I would have expected, and the result came with it, so that’s fantastic. The other nations taking home medals are traditional top teams that we know have very good players.
Lastly, Agerbak was very pleased with how the challenges with organising two events side-by-side were overcome, and how it was ultimately a great success for the future stars.
-They benefit greatly from being in the same venue as the top players. Of course, they take pictures with them and get autographs, as well as seeing them perform. So, I think the synergy is great and is a great concept, even though it requires a lot of organisation to hold two competitions at the same time.