BWF – President Dr Kang will not seek re-election

In a press release sent on friday by the Badminton World Federation, Dr Kang Young Joong, actual president of the governing body, made public his decision to step down and not seek a reelection for a third mandate next may.

Concluding last week’s BWF Council meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, the Korean informed fellow council members of his decision to step down after two terms (eight years) at the helm, stating “the time is right for transition now that BWF is in a stable position and on a positive path with good long-term strategies in place”.

“My goal was to leave BWF in a solid financial position and we have reached that stage. There is even more interest in badminton in our strong Asian markets now, and also throughout the globe, which is ultimately important. We have more players in tournaments and the competition is fierce among organisers to be part of the BWF World Superseries circuit” said the Korean, who is also the Chairman of Daekyo, a big company in Korea

“The future looks bright for the BWF and badminton,” said Dr. Kang. “This is the start of a new Olympic cycle and soon a new BWF World Superseries cycle in 2014. We are a well-governed sports body and we are going into elections next year. Our membership needs appropriate time to consider candidates for the presidency. Succession and transition should take place when an organisation is doing well – and we are – so this is the right time to signal my intentions and let that process start taking place.” he added.

The elections will be conducted during the AGM in May 2013, during the Sudirman Cup, in Kuala Lumpur.