Smillie fears worst for badminton if UK Sport funding is not restored
● Gilmour, Hall, Machugh and Co will feel massive impact if decision is not reversed
Anne Smillie, the chief executive of Badmintonscotland, predicts a catastrophic future for the sport if an appeal for the restoration of funding from UK Sport is not successful.
Everything seemed rosy in badminton when Chris Langridge and Marcus Ellis surprisingly won a bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the Rio Olympics last summer. It was seen as a huge boost for the sport, a springboard to a brighter future.
But then came a real winter blow when UK Sport announced that funding is to be completely withdrawn from badminton for the four-year cycle leading up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The figure allocated towards Rio 2016 was £5.9 million.
Among the big losers are Scotland’s Commonwealth Games medallist, Kirsty Gilmour, and the fast-rising Ayrshire youngster, Adam Hall. He reached the final of the Scottish Open in November with new English partner, Peter Mills.
This week, badminton launched an appeal to get the financial decision overturned, and the outcome is likely to be known at the beginning of March. In a year when Scotland will host the TOTAL BWF World Championships – to be staged at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow in August – Smillie remains perplexed by the decision.
“It doesn’t make sense,” suggested one of Scotland’s longest serving, and most highly respected, sports administrators. “I don’t know of an any other time when a sport has exceeded expectations at an Olympic Games and then had all the money withdrawn.
“But I am hopeful, and confident, that the appeal will be upheld. The case is put before the UK Sport at a Board Meeting next month.
“For Kirsty, Adam and the third Scot at British level, Patrick Machugh, the end of the support will have a massive impact. They will lose funding for the competition programme and all the associated services.
“It means there will be a huge burden placed on ourselves at Badmintonscotland, and this is a time when funding has also been reduced to sportscotland. We are very grateful for the help from sportscotland – but they are also suffering from cutbacks.”
Gilmour, the world No 29 in women’s singles, competed in Rio, but her performance was hindered by a knee injury. She has since undergone surgery and will make her comeback at the Yonex Scottish National Championships in Perth next month.
Gilmour, 23, won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and then made history by becoming the first Scot to win a European silver medal at the Championships in France last year.
“It’s a time when we should be celebrating British badminton success,” Smillie observed. “It was such a successful Commonwealth and then Olympic Games.
“In Scotland, we won European medals at Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 level last year and there are so many youngsters coming through such as Glasgow’s Grimley twins, Christopher and Matthew.
“The World Championships in Glasgow this summer will be huge and Badmintonscotland has earned praise from the Badmttnon World federation for our Big Hit junior programme.
“Legacy is an overused word, but we started building a world Championship legacy four years ago. If funding is withdrawn, it will hurt the whole pathway of the sport – from the grass roots to the elite players.
“If the appeal is not successful then Kirsty, and others, will be wholly dependent on Badmintonscotland and sportscotland. But, hopefully, a change will be made.