The Norwegian Badminton Federation (NBF) organized a badminton training camp for girls from 10-13 December 2015 in Oslo, at the Olympic Sport Centre, Olympiatoppen. 34 girls from 12 different clubs in Norway participated in the camp, representing various regions of Norway from the south to the north.
The girls were between 14 to 18 years old with different level of badminton. Some of them just started to play a few months ago while others have been practicing badminton for years. There were also a few players from the Norwegian national team who participated in the event.
The main purpose for organizing this camp is to increase the female representation in badminton as the number of the female presence is significantly lower in different areas of badminton than the male representation. To develop and improve our sport, it is necessary to have gender equality in the different groups; coaches, referees, leaders, etc.
The Norwegian organizers delivered the camp according to this concept which contained badminton on court, physical and mental trainings and presentations from guests. All the coaches, presenters and camp leaders were women. The presentations were the followings:
- Kirsten Gulbrandsen, a Norwegian female referee who shared the details about her exciting life as a badminton referee.
- The organizers invited a guest from the organisation called, “Sunn jenteidrett” (Healthy girl sport) who talked to the participants about “How to eat smart” and why healthy diet is important (Website: http://www.sunnjenteidrett.no/).
- Kari Bunes, former Vice President of NBF, had a useful presentation about NBF’s structure, volunteering and communication.
- Hanne Haugland, former World Champion of high jump (athletics), had a very interesting presentation about her career as a top athlete and current work in sport. She talked to the participants of the camp about motivation, ambition, goals and communication. She highlighted the importance of patience and team work between female athletes.
Sonja Wåland one of the most experienced female coaches in Norway was responsible for the trainings. Her assistant on court during the Sunday sessions was Helene Abusdal, one of the most experienced players in Norway. Helene also works as a club leader and she is a member of the NBF’s Top Sport Committee.
The written feedbacks regarding the course from the participants at the end of the camp were positive. The girls enjoyed the program, especially the combination of physical training with the presentations. They liked being just girls, being together, getting to know each other and having fun while practicing badminton.
Article and photos by Anne Lisbet Flåten
Chair of Development
Norwegian Badminton Federation
For enquiries for Women in Badminton, please contact Zsuzsanna Kovacs at zsuzsanna.kovacs@badmintoneurope.com