Medalists from the 2023 U17 European Championship have begun a nine-day high-performance training camp in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.
Organized in close cooperation with the Federação Portuguesa de Badminton, this event is a significant part of the BEC World Class programme, which is dedicated to nurturing Europe’s top junior badminton talents through several projects.
The camp aims to enhance a high-performance mindset among Europe’s top U17& junior players, foster their discipline-specific badminton skills, and provide them with high-level sparring opportunities through training sessions with experienced players. A total of 37 players representing numerous countries—including Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, Serbia, Switzerland, France, Turkey, Latvia, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Romania, Serbia, and Wales—are participating in this intensive training camp.
The camp relies on a competent lineup of coaches, including Jose Antonio Crespo, John Dinesen, Gloria Pirvanescu, Nadia Zieba, and Jeroen Van Dijk.
Mari Carmen Casermeiro, BEC representative and team manager of the training group, shared her insights from a confederation perspective:
"This training camp presents a great opportunity for Europe’s future badminton talents to collaborate and improve together. The presence of such an experienced group of coaches is a significant added value, ensuring the camp's success. This is just the beginning of the BEC World Class programme, and we look forward to seeing the growth and development of these young athletes."
Professional players sharing their experience
Madalena Fortunato, a women’s singles player representing Portugal, shared her experiences from the first days of the camp:
“It’s a wonderful experience to share these kinds of trainings with players from so many different countries. Their points of view differ from ours, and there is always something new to take away. Even though we’ve just started, I’ve already learned so much. We are helping each other, and the coaches are doing a great job. I’m looking forward to seeing how we progress.”
Over the next nine days, the World Class junior training group will not only sharpen their on-court skills but also gain invaluable insights from top players like Isabel Lohau, who will share her journey to becoming a world-class athlete and developing a high-performance mindset on and off court.
With exciting and intense days ahead, these young athletes are set to return to their home countries equipped with new skills and experiences, ready to implement the lessons learned from this high performance journey.