GREAT TO BE BACK IN FRANCE! Dear badminton fans – dear friends, I am very happy to welcome you to the 2020 European Men’s & Women’s Team Championships and the 2020 European U15 Championships in Liévin. It is great to be back in France and it is fantastic to see so many teams participating in the #EMWTC20 and to follow the talents at the U15 Championships. It is an interesting time for European badminton – not only in Europe but also in the global perspective. The Olympic and the Paralympic qualifications are closely coming to an end, and some very interesting championships, tournaments, and matches await in the near future. The teams and the individual players have to perform on their absolute top level, and as a badminton fan I am excited that we will benefit from that here in Liévin. I am sure we will see surprises, the biggest stars at their absolute best and also some new names popping up this week. After each Olympic Games it is normal to see players considering if it is time to call it a day. Therefore, I will strongly encourage you to enjoy this tournament just a little more than you normally do. It might be one of the last times some of the big names play right in front of you, here in France. When the experienced players retire new talents blossom and take their place. I am sure that some of the younger players will present themselves in the best possible way during these Championships. I have been impressed with the strength of the upcoming French players, where especially Christo Popov has shown great potential. French badminton is turning into a powerhouse when it comes to European junior badminton and hopefully that will also show in this kind of competitions in the near future and maybe already here in Liéven. In this magazine you will get the best possible overview of the #EMWTC20, you will meet some of the local stars, and we will also take you for a trip down memory lane meeting one of our coaches at Centre of Excellence, who won the European Women’s Team Championships back in 2006. Last time the European Championships took place in France was in 2016, and it was a great event – four years later we are back‚ and I am sure it will be an amazing week. Enjoy the reading!
Brian Agerbak General Secretary Badminton Europe Imprint: Badminton Europe - Published by Badminton Europe Confederation, Brøndbytoften 14, 2605 Brøndby, Denmark.• Responsible editor: Rasmus Bech•Design: Laura Martí Diez • Journalists: Alan Raftery, Emilie Sommer•Coverphoto: Badminton Photo •Photos: Badminton Photo & Badminton Europe
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