Team Europe is dedicated to nurturing and developing the next generation of European badminton talents, helping them unlock their full potential and compete at an international level. The program provides a unique opportunity for young athletes to grow both on and off the court while supporting them in making a smooth transition from youth to senior badminton, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges of professional competition. You can read more about the program here. 

Coaches play a pivotal role at Team Europe, and in this article, we will introduce the three coaches who will serve as Team Captains for the three groups: U15-U17, U19, and U21.

The primary responsibility of the Team Captains is to collaborate closely with young players and their stakeholders (members, coaches, and parents), ensuring that they have the best possible opportunities to reach their full potential. This involves not only refining technical skills but also fostering independence, self-reflection, and self-driven determination among players.

To achieve these objectives, the coaches actively participate in high-performance training camps held twice a year. During these camps, they engage in both on-court training sessions and off-court educational workshops covering topics such as career development, personal branding, and performance optimization. This holistic approach ensures that athletes are well-prepared for the multifaceted demands of professional badminton.

Furthermore, Team Europe emphasizes the importance of continuous collaboration between national coaches and Team Europe. Between training camps, sparring sessions are foreseen to maintain momentum and address individual development needs.

We are extremely proud and delighted to introduce three incredibly strong Team Captains who will dedicate their passion and expertise to creating the best possible environment for the development of young talents.

Team Captains:

U15-U17 – Jose Antonio Crespo Ortiz

U19 – Sune Gavnholt

U21 – Anu Nieminen

Jose Antonio Crespo Ortiz, Spain

Jose Antonio is a former professional badminton player and an 11-time Spanish champion across all three categories between 2001 and 2008. He achieved his highest world ranking in 2003, reaching No. 13 in men's doubles and No. 16 in mixed doubles. This success led him to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Since retiring from his active playing career in 2008, Jose Antonio has been a dedicated badminton coach. Since 2021, he has served as the Sports Director and Head Coach at the Madrid Badminton Association. Before that, he was the Head Coach for the Peru Badminton Association on multiple occasions, where he played a crucial role in helping Peru secure its first-ever Olympic qualification in badminton.

Jose Antonio is well educated as to mentioned a few of his educations, he has University degree in Physical Education (5 year education),  holds a Master degree in High Performance and graduated with honour from the BEC ADVANCE Badminton Coach Education in 2024.

We are thrilled to have Jose Antonio as part of Team Europe, and he shares our excitement:

"This is an incredibly exciting project to be a part of, and I truly believe we can achieve something great for European talent development. I am especially looking forward to working closely with the players’ coaches, as I am sure we can learn a lot from each other’s approaches to training."

Sune Gavnholt, Denmark

At just 41 years old, Sune Gavnholt is already a highly experienced and well-established badminton coach. He began coaching at just 15 years old in 1998 and has never stopped since. Sune holds an Elite Coach Education certification from Badminton Denmark from 2023—the highest coaching qualification in Denmark. Additionally, he has completed specialized training in mental coaching, talent development, motor skills training, and holds a Bachelor (BA) of Education.
As a player, Sune was several times Denmark and European champion in his youth years and played professionally for almost 10 years around the world.

From 2007 to 2024, Sune was employed at the Badminton College in Ikast (Denmark), working specifically with the U19 age group, focusing on technical, tactical, and physical development, as well as the player’s ability for reflection and self-management.
He has been the national coach for the Faroe Islands and is currently working as a consultant and coach with the national teams in Austria and at the elite centre in Aarhus with the Danish players.

Sune himself is eager to get started:

"I can’t wait to work with the best U19 players in Europe and do my part to ensure that both the players and their coaches gain as much as possible from this program to aid their development towards the world’s elite."

Anu Nieminen, Finland

With a 16-year-long professional career, a world ranking of No. 13 in singles and No. 16 in doubles, and four Olympic Games appearances, Anu Nieminen was an exceptional badminton player. She has since carried all her knowledge and experience from the court into her coaching career. Anu has been through the Danish coaching education system and holds the highest coaching qualification from Denmark as she completed Elite Coach Education in 2015.

Since 2021, Anu has been the owner and Head Coach of Anu Nieminen Coaching, where she has developed a program designed to cover everything a badminton player needs to develop both on and off the court.

Regarding her role with Team Europe, Anu says:

"It’s going to be amazing to work with and help develop the best young players in Europe, and I will do everything I can to ensure they have all the opportunities to become world-class players."

Final Words

Jacob Oehlenschlæger, Development & High Performance Senior Manager at Badminton Europe, is also extremely pleased with the three outstanding coaches Team Europe has secured:

"We are thrilled to have these exceptional coaches onboard. Their experience, dedication, and passion will be instrumental in developing the next generation of European badminton stars. The three captains add significant quality to the Team Europe project, and every player and coach involved will benefit enormously from their many inputs. We can’t wait to see the players and their coaches at the first camp this summer."

Training Camps Schedule

• U15-U17 and U19 groups: 3-14 July 2025 in Denmark
• U21 group: 27 July – 10 August 2025 in Thailand