Changes in International Badminton
- Can NZ Keep Up?
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Stuart Borrie, Secretary General, BWF (Badminton World Federation) Stuart was born in NZ at Waipukerau, Hawkes Bay and after attending Palmerston North Teachers College and Massey University he began his career teaching at Napier Boys and at Tokoroa and Havelock North before heading off overseas in 1980. In 1996 he made the move from adult education into the sports events industry. Prior to joining the BWF he had 3 and a half years as the Executive Director for Australia Badminton.
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We Hear A Lot About The Financial Crisis How Is It Impacting Badminton Worldwide? "There is no evidence that it is affecting our sport just yet but we are getting feedback from those running our future large scale events that they have concerns regarding securing the income for events in 2009 and 2010 necessary for hosting." |
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"Also our sponsors are expecting things to become tighter. We are expecting to see an impact in mid 2009 and through 2010 in terms of a tightening of the corporate money available to us."
"We do rely on corporate money for major events. However badminton has had a history of being very self sufficient and we do have a very strong volunteer base."
"The grass roots level will hopefully be a lot more insulated as we are a cheap sport to play. Also, currently, there is not too much disruption to players travelling to events etc.
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The
Impact of the Beijing Olympics
"The Olympics went very, very well for us on a number of fronts."
Viewing Numbers: "On one of the days we were one of the top 5 sports in terms of viewing numbers at the games and we had around 400 million people in China watching the women's doubles finals."
"Also those VIP guests we had in Beijing who saw badminton for the first time were very impressed with the excitement, drama and speed of the game on court.
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"We had very good feedback regarding the badminton games and the VIP hospitality we provided at the competition venue."
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Organisation: "The badminton event was very successful, as was our partnership with BOCOG (The Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games). It was very smooth and went exceptionally well."
Politically: "It also showed to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that despite some political turmoil and changes in the BWF over the last 18 months, we are now on track and have settled down leading into the future."
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Representation:
"Badminton had players from 50 countries represented in Beijing this year compared to 32 in Athens. "
"This is a significant increase and a positive for the sport and supports the IOC notion of universality in sport."
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Competing Athletes – Beijing 2008 Badminton
Competition
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Numbers worldwide: "We have a sense that this is growing."
"We estimate that there are over 200 million players worldwide - this is not registered players but those who just are also playing casually - so it is an estimate of the total playing market."
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Sponsorship and Money In Our Sport "One of the key things for us are the Super Series Finals - with a total prize pool of $500,000US dollars - is that it not only gives us a great chance to get money to the top players, but also profiles our sport."
"Yonex as a BWF sponsor also had success at the Olympic Games - each of their medalists in Beijing also had an individual sponsorship with Yonex so they captured a lot of the top players."
Keys To Growth "There is no doubt to be successful you need to grow the base. Getting into schools is very important. The World Tennis body - ITA - have a very successful program called "Play and Stay" which gives young kids below the age of 8 a great experience of success when they go on court, using modified equipment. So developing badminton programs for schools and registering the players is very important. Also growing the large leisure market and tapping into that is also a key for our sport."
"There was a study that showed China, with over 1 billion in population, could have the potential to produce 300,000 world class athletes (in any sport). Australia, with a population of 20 million, could provide a pool of 16,000 elite in all sports. So smaller countries need to be smart with their high performance programs to be competitive against the best in the world".
So if you translate this to get 5 top players in a sport you need a minimum base of around 15,000 players - and a world class training program and quality coaches.
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Can NZ and Australia Catch Up to the Best in the World in Badminton? "That's a tough one - I think it is a resources issue. There is no doubt that you need to get the top Australian and NZ players overseas. They need to do this to get used to the higher speed, training and intensity of competition and sparring in Europe an Asia."
"There is also a question of time. Most Oceania players are amateurs and have jobs so they will train in the morning before work and the afternoon after it. Meanwhile their counterparts train at least twice a day, 6 days a week, and can rest during the time amateur athletes are working. While we need to get our top players overseas to train, we also need to have them at home for part of the year to showcase the game locally and inspire others to follow and play the sport." (Pictured Dan Shirley and Sara Runesten Petersen tremendous performers for NZ on the World Stage) |
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Global Development "BWF gets funding (around $US 8 million) from the broadcasting rights at the Olympic Games which is designed to last for the next 4 years. We spend a lot of this money on development. For example 4 million goes out to member Confederations directly every four years: such as the Oceania Badminton, Asia, Europe, Africa and Pan America Federations. The majority of the money (about 2.2 million in cash) goes to the Europe and Asia regions."
Administration "One of the keys is to have good communication with stakeholders, players, volunteers, clubs, sponsors etc. Also good systems to record, file and track information and to record members. Supporting our large volunteer base and rewarding that base is also crucial for badminton as we rely on the goodwill of volunteers in our sport. Also crucial is growing the youth market, the young players and the 17 plus market while also growing and developing our coaches, court officials, and volunteer base."
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Breaking News SPARC Cuts NZ Badminton Funding
Just prior to going to press it was announced that SPARC had cut all of the high performance funding for badminton in NZ for 2009. Here is the full NZ Herald Article http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10548134. 3 sports were cut: Badminton along with Women's Basketball and Women's Hockey
I also talked to SPARC and they were able to give out a bit more information:
1) What is the reason for cutting the funding- is it around potential performance at Commonwealth Games? What is the reason for cutting the funding? Yes, SPARC does not consider there is a high enough likelihood - in comparison to the other contestable applications received - of badminton success at the Commonwealth Games. There was approximately $10m applied for under the contestable process and SPARC can obviously not support all projects with only $4-5m available.
2) Is it a total funding cut as is implied in the media ie from $250,000 to zero Yes. However, $50,000 of this total is targeted at the employment of a high performance coach that runs through until 31 October 2009. Badminton NZ will continue to receive other investment in the form of sport development, coaching director and Prime Minister scholarships. So $200,000 ceases as of 31st December 2008.
4) Is there a way to get future funding despite the cut and are there any conditions on getting that? There is a contestable high performance round each year. Badminton is not excluded from future applications but will need to demonstrate an ability to succeed in the next pinnacle event aligned with SPARC's High Performance Strategy, i.e. either Olympic Games or World Championships or Commonwealth Games.
5) Does it affect the allocation of prime minister scholarships and badminton players eligibility for those - this is a big concern to a lot of parents of top players and the players themselves. Do we know how many scholarships if any would be offered to badminton? It does not affect the 2009 Prime Minister Scholarship decisions that have also been made this month. Badminton has been advised today that there will a slight increase in the number of elite PM Athlete Scholarships in 2009 over the 1 allocated in 2008. Scholarships are considered on a year by year basis.
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We spoke to Mike Kernaghan GM of Badminton NZ. "We just found out at 10am on Dec 14th just prior to the press release at 1pm and I am meeting with SPARC later this week."
"We will formulate a strategy as a National body to adapt but will need to get more information before we can do that. I can say that although the funding is cut there will be an in increase Prime Ministers scholarships in 2009 for badminton. " |
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The first thing that strikes you about Zhou Mi is her racket work on court being able to hit from behind her with little effort and moving easily into the next shot.
In person she is very friendly and relaxed. As the interpreter asks her my questions her brown eyes look up for a moment to reflect. Her replies are often punctuated with laughter and it is clear that this is someone who is really enjoying their badminton right now.
Underneath the laughter and humble exterior also burns a strong passion and love for her sport.
That humility may have something to do with her background of playing amongst the very best women in the world and knowing how tough it can be to keep the top spot.
Zhou Mi (born in 1979 in China) was a member of the Chinese National Squad. In her career she has been World No.1 twice in the past in 2002 and again in 2004
In 2004 she also won the bronze medal for China in 2004 at Athens but in 2006 she retired from the Chinese squad after some troublesome knee injuries. |
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After a move to Hong Kong she came out of retirement in 2007. Since then her ranking has shot up from around 200 to No.1 after good performances at the Danish and French Super Series at the end of 2008.
Just prior to the start of the KLRC NZ Open tournament she slipped to No.2, but by the narrowest of margins. She was just 4 points behind Tine Rasmussen from Denmark.
You get the impression that at the age of 29 and now playing for Hong Kong, that she has a second wind, along with a renewed vigour and enjoyment for the game. |
Back to the Top - interview Telegraph UK
What Did You Do Differently To Rise Up The Rankings? "I didn't really do anything differently. The training was the same, however I did try to truly feel and enjoy the environment on court when I am playing".
What Goals Do You Have Now for the Future? "Just to really continue enjoying the sport and to hopefully perform well and entertain the crowd."
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Zhou Mi is very keen to ensure a good performance.
She talks of the rankings as almost a byproduct of having enjoyed the game so much.
Even in training she said that to have the discipline to try and enjoy training was very important.
She has focused on high qualify training around 2 hr per day average at the moment with the aim of enjoying the training at high intensity.
Enjoyment of her sport is definitely crucial for her current and future plans for success. |
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Who Was The Hardest Player You Have Had To Play Against?
"I can't say that there was any one player who was hardest but the hardest country to play against is definitely China."
"You may get past one player in a tournament but there is often at least one or maybe 2 or 3 other top Chinese players you have to beat in order to progress and win the tournament.."
"That depth of talent makes them very hard to beat."
For more information on Zhou Mi:
Badminton Central blog on Zhou Mi.
Zhou Mi pics from Japan Yonex Open 2008 -
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Headlines & Rankings
Player and Tournament News
China Open Lin Dan beat Lee Chong Wei in a repeat of the Olympic Gold Medal Match 21-18,21-9. Gold Medalists Lee Young Dae and Kee Hyu Jung from Korea were again dominant in the Mixed Doubles beating almost everyone in just 2 sets. Their closest match was in the quarterfinals against He Hanbin / Yu Yang (China) which they won 21-12,12-21, 21-14
Zhang Ning Back At China Open But As A Coach.
After a break from playing since winning Olympic Gold Zhang Ning was back on court, but this time in a new role -
Upsets in Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Open saw some amazing results and upsets for the hosts. It was not a good tournament for some of the Olympic Gold Medalists.
The Korean Mixed Doubles Pair of Lee Young Dae and Kee Hyo Jung - who absolutely dominated the Olympics - lost to Xie Zhongbo and Zhang Yawen (China) 14-21,16-21. Chen Jin then beat Lin Dan in the Men Singles semifinal 21-9, 9-21,21-17.
Meanwhile history was created when Wang Chen from Hong Kong won the first title for Hong Kong in this particular tournament and beat Xie Xingfang 21-16,10-21,21-10. (For a full match report from the BWF click here )
Kenneth Jonassen
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Lin Dan's Not So Easy Ride To The Top.
Read about why he salutes after his matches, his childhood, how he worked hard to earn his gold medal success at Beijing, and his determination to stay at the top - click here for the badzine article.
Zhou Mi At KLRC Gets Badminton in the News in NZ. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/badminton/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=479
Badminton Headlines From Around The World
Badminton Could be At Wembley in 2012 - this article from BBC Sports in the UK talks about the possible use of Wembley as a stadium for the 2012 London Olympics.
Badminton England Gets Government Grant of £8.6m from "UK Sport" for the performance element of the sport for the four year period through to the Olympic Games 2012" Separately, Badminton England is also bidding for funding for the development of the sport over the next four year period. The outcome will be announced towards the end of December "
In the UK, badminton is growing fast and there is now so much pressure on facilities that space to play is hard to find. Thankfully, so far there has not been any noticeable downturn in playing numbers, despite the severe economic climate in the UK
USA Badminton Develop New Technology Partnership with BCI - http://usabadminton.org/news/article/7819 about this and the Railstation web based ranking and event management system
Badminton Makes the New York Times - even among all the financial news. Read about the difference between how the games is perceived in the States and the reality http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/b/badminton/index.html
Badminton Summer School in Europe - This was held in July and is a junior development school for over 20 European countries. It was held in Warsaw in Poland and had over 50 players and 9 coaches...read more
Badminton Europe Collaborate with Elite Coach Education Program in Denmark. This is a coaching academy which involve studying the theory and practical aspects of playing badminton including anatomy as well a physical and tactical training. They also went to the Danish Open to assess players at a major event. http://www.badmintoneurope.com/news_item.aspx?id=17021
Dutch Seek New National Coach - http://www.badmintoneurope.com/news_item.aspx?id=17083
World Rankings Update - link for the latest rankings - http://www.internationalbadminton.org/
World No.1s
MS
WS
MD
WD
MXD
NZers In World Top 100
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WS
MD
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MXD
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Denmark) Retires
at age 34.
England
Badminton in England
Going Strong Despite Financial Crisis
USA
EUROPE
Netherlands
Lee Chong Wei - Malaysia
Zhou Mi - Hong Kong
Markis Kido / Hendra Setiawan - Indonesia
Yu Yang / Du Jung - China
John Moody (80)_______________________________________________________