Emma Mason is the new Chair of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Athletes’ Commission.
The now-retired Scottish international was recently selected by fellow Commission members to lead the players’ organisation and she is therefore the first memberof what will be the new BWF Council; the rest of which will be elected at the BWF Annual General Meeting in Malaysia in May.
The 26-year-old, who was previously Vice Chair of the Commission, will now have newly-elected Commission member, Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark (right), as her deputy. There are four other members of the Commission which was established in 2008 to represent the views of athletes within the BWF Council.
They are: Rodrigo Pacheco (Peru); Lee Yong Dae (Korea); Greysia Polii (Indonesia) and Yuhan Tan (Belgium). Pedro Yang (Guatemala) is a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission and therefore an ex-officio member of the BWF Athletes’ Commission.
In her new duties as Chair, Mason will be a full voting member of the BWF Council and has the responsibility to advise Council on matters relevant to athletes. In a recent interview on her contribution and commitment to the Athletes’ Commission, she gave an insight into the organisation’s role.
“We help players, who are our friends and colleagues, ensuring that the athletes’ voices are heard. We hope to aid players by providing a pathway for them to communicate their issues and aim to improve the sport for them where possible,” she explained (Badzine interview).
Mason, who is halfway through her four-year term on the Commission, will serve two years as Chair until her term ends in 2015.
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To contact the BWF Athletes’ Commission, please note the following information:
Emma Mason (Chair): [email protected]
Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Vice Chair): [email protected]
Text by Gayle Alleyne | Badmintonphoto