Date:09/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/10/09/stories/2004100906781600.htm

Sport - Badminton

IBF to stage EGM

BANGALORE, OCT. 8 The International Badminton Federation is to stage an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at the end of this year as it looks to adopt a new strategic plan for 2005 and beyond, according to a media release of the IBF.

The meeting, to be held on December 1 at Kuala Lumpur, will seek support for IBF Council's new strategic concepts — first introduced to Member Associations at the 2004 Annual General Meeting in Jakarta — and will present new budget proposals geared towards the decentralisation and streamlining of the Federation's activities.

If adopted, these proposals would allow for the redistribution of IBF's share of Olympic TV revenues to the five Continental Confederations and for development projects world-wide as part of the decentralisation model, and continue their emphasis on global development with plans to open a series of permanent IBF Training Centres designed to ensure that Associations have equal access to high-quality training and facilities.

The proposals would see an overhaul to the existing IBF Council structure with officers to serve no more than two four-year terms in the same position, and a review of the Federation's central office location, currently in Cheltenham, UK. As part of its ongoing appraisal of administration costs, IBF has received interest in hosting the central office from Canada, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland and USA.— Our Special Correspondent