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. 

We Hear Alot 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." 

"Also our sponsors are expecting things to become tighter.   We are expecting to see in 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."

"Grass roots level will hopefully be alot more insulated as we are a cheap sport to play.  Also currently there is not too much disruption to players traveling to events etc."

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 fist time were very impressed with the excitement, drama and speed of the game on court.    Badminton had very good feedback on the game and the VIP hospitality we provided at the competition venue."

 

Organisation: "The badminton event was very successful with 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 that we are on track and have settled down leading into the future."

 

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."

Competing Athletes – Beijing 2008 Badminton Competition   Men’s singles                (MS)                41 players Women’s singles         (WS)                47 players Men’s doubles              (MD)               16 pairs Women’s doubles       (WD)               16 pairs Mixed Doubles             (XD)                16 Pairs     MS WS MD WD XD National Olympic Committees Asia 17 15 10 11 8             13 NOCs Europe 16 23 3 2 5             22 NOCs PanAm 3 4 1 1 1             5 NOCs Oceania 2 1 1 1 1             2 NOCs Africa 3 4 1 1 1             8 NOCs                         50 NOCs

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 it gives us a great chance to get money to the top players but also to profile 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."

 

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."

"Having a strong base is very important especially getting into the schools.  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.

 

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 so that they 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 amateur and have jobs so will train 6 to 8 then go to work then train in the afternoon.  Meanwhile their counterparts train at least twice day 6 days a week and can have a rest in the afternoon as full time athletes.  So we need to get our top players overseas to train also but also have them at home for some part of the year so we can 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)

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 alot 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 has cut all of badminton NZ's high performance funding for 2009.  That is a total cut of $250,000. Here is the full ZN Herald Article http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10548134.   3 sports were cut: Badminton along with Womens Basketball and Womens Hockey

 

We spoke to  Mike Kernaghan GM of Badminton NZ.  "We just found out at 10am yesterday (Dec 14th) prior to the press release at 1pm.  I'm 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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Zhou Mi Back On Top In NZ

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. 

 

After a move to Hong Kong she came out of retirement in 2007 and 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 the narrowest of margins - just 4 points behind Tine Rasmussen from Denmark.    You get the impression that at 29, now playing for Hong Kong that she has a 2nd 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 a 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."

 

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.

 

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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