At the 86th Badminton World Federation (BWF) Annual General Meeting (AGM) held today in Xiamen, China, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul from Thailand was confirmed as the new President of the BWF. She becomes only the second woman in history to hold this prestigious position, succeeding Poul-Erik Høyer, who led the organization for twelve years.
Poul-Erik Høyer, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2005, made the decision to step down, believing it was the right time to pass on the leadership after years of dedicated service. In March, during the All England Championships, Høyer announced his decision to retire, paving the way for Khunying Patama to take over.
“It’s a great honour to pass on the baton of BWF President to my dear friend and colleague Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul,” Høyer said in his speech. “I am confident badminton and the BWF will continue to grow under your leadership and guidance. Badminton has been such a big part of my life, and I am proud of the transformations we’ve made over the past 12 years.”
Khunying Patama also expressed gratitude towards Høyer for his significant contributions to the sport. “Thank you for everything you have done for badminton, as a champion on court, a visionary administrator, and a wonderful person. It is a privilege and a great responsibility to accept this leadership role from you. You have set a high standard for us all to follow.”
As part of today’s announcements, Høyer was honored with the title of Honorary Life Vice President by the BWF membership, and was inducted into Badminton Europe’s Hall of Fame in March.
Alongside Khunying Patama’s election, Etienne Thobois from France was confirmed as Deputy President-elect. Richard Perot, also from France, was elected as Vice President for Para Badminton. Additionally, 20 new BWF Council Members were elected, with representatives from Europe including Andoni Azurmendi Ibarrola (Spain), Charlotte Dew-Hattens (Denmark), and Nora Perry (England).
Robbert De Kock will continue to serve as the Continental Vice President of Europe.
The AGM also marked the start of the Sudirman Cup in Xiamen, where European teams from Czechia, France, Denmark, and England will compete.
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