Hoyer Larsen jumps into BWF Presidential contest

Former Olympic champion Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen formally threw his hat into the BWF presidential race today, calling for greater infrastructural help for smaller member nations.

The current BWF President Kang Young Joon will not be contesting another term. Larsen’s principal challengers will be Justian Suhandinata of Indonesia and Datuk Seri Nadzmi Mohd Salleh of Malaysia. The President will be chosen at the BWF’s Annual General Meeting during the Sudirman Cup at Putra Stadium during May 19 to 26.

Larsen, who was the gold medallist at the Atlanta Olympics and was one of the world’s top players during the nineties, is currently the President of Badminton Europe. He won five Danish Open and two All England titles. In a statement, he said: “Coming from a background as a player myself I am very keen that our sport is administered in a way where consideration to the players is taken in all decisions that we make. Without players there is no BWF and as administrators we must never lose sight of that. We must have an understanding for the challenges that the smaller member associations are facing. Only by having sufficient sports halls available where our sport can be played, enough human resources to handle the administration, basic equipment and educated coaches to support our players can we reach the next level of development. BWF must play a stronger role in securing this and support the build-up of strong local and regional structures. This all in very close cooperation with all Continental Confederations.

“Becoming an Olympic sport has been the biggest catalyst for our sport. Although we are now justly settled amongst the core sports in the Olympic Program, improving our Olympic status must continue to be key motivation in everything we do. I am strongly committed to do what needs to be done in order for the sport to evolve and stay attractive.”

Larsen also touched upon two key aspects: the Paralympics and attractiveness to a global audience. He said: “The efforts made to enable badminton to become part of the Paralympic Games have been extremely important and structures have been created to fulfil this ambition. It is key to continue down this path and ensure a total inclusion for our future Paralympic Athletes. Finally the attractiveness of our sport to a wider audience is important to me. We must ensure that badminton can be seen in all parts of the world. We must continue to analyze our performance so that we are sure that we offer the audience what they demand. The world never stops turning and neither should a sport that has aspirations to become better and more popular.”