MADRID, 26 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish Badminton Federation (FESBA) has sealed an agreement this Wednesday with the European Badminton Confederation (BEC) by which Spain will host eight major continental events over the next five years, until 2028, according to a statement.
Thus, Spain is consolidated as one of the organizational references of European badminton, turning the country into the “epicenter of continental badminton”. From the FESBA, they point out that the organization of these events is “a boost for the venues and for the promotion of badminton in Spain”.
The events that the BEC has awarded to the FESBA are the European Club Championship in Oviedo this year, the Junior European Championships in 2024, the U17 European Championship in 2025, the Absolute and Senior European Championship in 2026, the European Championship for mixed teams in 2027 and again the Absolute and Senior European Championship in 2028.
The recently elected president of Badminton Europe, Sven Serré, highlighted in the statement that Spain has been “a very good host for many years.” “It is always a reliable partner and I think that all the participants like to come to Spain. We always see well-organized events and we are very happy that Spain is going to host eight big events to grow badminton in Europe”, he valued.
For his part, the president of FESBA, Andoni Azurmendi, also expressed his satisfaction and pride in the confidence in the organizational capacity of Spanish badminton. “We are very happy that Spain is confirmed as one of the benchmarks for European badminton. This agreement is yet another example of the work and dedication of the entire Spanish badminton family in promoting this sport in our country”, he said.
“The organization of large events is essential to promote badminton in our country and to attract new fans. We are sure that these events will generate a great economic and tourist impact in the venues, since badminton is a mass sport in many countries , especially in Asia, where athletes and fans number in the millions,” he added about the deal.
Spain has already hosted 13 major international badminton events in different cities since 2001. A cycle that began with the celebration of the Absolute World Cup in Seville and later, in 2006, in Madrid. In 2016, Bilbao hosted the Junior World Championship, while Huelva hosted the Absolute European Championship in 2018, the same year that Guadalajara hosted the Senior European Championship.
In addition, the Spain Masters has been held in Barcelona in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and in Huelva in 2021. That year, the Huelva city hosted the Absolute World Championship and the Senior World Championship. And in 2022, Madrid and Ibiza hosted the Absolute European Championship and the Sub15 European Championship, respectively. Santander also joined the list in 2022, by hosting the Junior World Championships. And finally, in 2023, Madrid was the venue for the Madrid Spain Masters.