Former world number one Peter Gade is the new coach of the French national team. Gade was formally introduced Saturday at a news conference in Paris alongside the Delegates' Meeting of the French Badminton Federation. He will commence his new position on 15th of May.
"On May 15th I will begin as Performance Director/National Coach for France. I have signed a 5-year contract with the main objective of bringing badminton in France to the next level. My intention is to inspire and motivate players, management and coaches from top to bottom in setting up a long lasting structure that French badminton can benefit from for many years. It is not gonna be easy, but for me the potential and resources are present at many levels and I look very much forward to taking up the challenge. I’ve been in close contact with FFBaD for some time now and for the past months, Richard Remaud, Philippe Limouzin and Fabrice Vallet from FFBad made this possible. For me, this new challenge comes at the right time in my life and its a great opportunity for me to learn from and experience a different culture, and try to bring my visions and ideas to life in this. I can’t wait to get started", says Gade on his official Facebook page.
Gade, who turns 39 in December, is one of the world's best badminton players of all time. The Dane won the European Championships five times and took five World Championships medals between 1999 and 2011. From 1997 to 2001 Gade was ranked number one in the BWF world ranking. In 1999 he won the prestigious Yonex All-England Championships.
Photo by BadmintonPhoto.