The Slovenian Badminton Federation has been hosting the RSL BEC Summer School for six years in a row, and after so many successful editions, they will be hosting it once again. It is a grand event, one of BEC’s oldest — the first was in 1982, and this one will be the 39th edition — and a great sign of cooperation between Badminton Europe and Europe’s federations.

The one-week training camp is an investment in the present and future of European badminton and after a long period of challenges in delivering events due to the pandemic, this is a positive story to tell. Development & High Performance Senior Manager at Badminton Europe, Jacob Oehlenschlaeger feels delighted that in less than a month from now, the event will be taking place.

-It is just amazing that we can deliver one of the most traditional events in Badminton Europe. We are very much looking forward to getting to Slovenia and delivering a great event.

With a big group of U15 European national players and coaches, there is a lot to prepare and organise before the event, which will be taking place from 3 to 10 July. The Slovenian Badminton Federation and BEC have been working hard to deliver a great event and with all the safety measures needed in these COVID-19 times.

-They have been challenging because there are changes all the time. Of course, we are always in close communication with the Slovenian Badminton Federation for the preparation so we can ensure that we are delivering a safe Summer School for both the players and the participants of the coaching education course. It is a bit more challenging because you have all these changes due to the pandemic, so we have to be ready. Still, we are very experienced in that, Oehlenschlaeger explained.

The junior players and the participants in the BWF Coach Education Level 2 course will be joined by 8-10 experienced staff at the modern high-quality facilities of the Sports Hall Multipurpose, Podčetrtek. This year, it will be even more special, as the city will also be hosting the U17 European Championships later in September.

-This is really good for Slovenia. We have had the Summer School in Slovenia many times, and we have had great experiences. So, we are of course very much looking forward to going back. Then they have the U17 Championships, it’s just great for the city and the country. We hope to deliver a great Summer School, and then a great U17 tournament together with the Slovenian Federation.

This training programme gives coaches and players the opportunity to not just acquire professional knowledge, but also a forum for networking to share experiences and new ideas, as well as making new friends. This is why it is so important to hold events like the BEC Summer School. 

-This is what badminton can do, bringing people together. The players can get high-level badminton training and make very good friends from around Europe who they can hopefully benefit from not just during the summer camp but also afterwards. It also has a social aspect. If you compare it to the high-performance part that you see on television all the time, this is what brings people together, this is the foundation of badminton, Oehlenschlaeger said.

Having top qualified coaches and well-prepared players goes hand in hand, this is one of the reasons why hosting these two programmes is such a good idea. Both professionals are important if we want to continue seeing some incredible badminton games in the years to come.

-Educating coaches is important to us. In order for us to provide high-quality training, education is crucial for the coaches to get new and more knowledge to train players so that they can improve. This combination, having both the players and coaches being there, is just a brilliant setup.

Read more about the RSL BEC Summer School here.