BADMINTONscotland Chief Executive Anne Smillie wins top CCPR award

THE Bank of Scotland International Championships got off to a perfect start with Tournament Director and BADMINTONscotland Chief Executive Anne Smillie tonight named the winner of the CCPR's prestigious Emlyn Jones Award.

Her achievement was announced at the CCPR National Governing Body Chief Executives' Convention at the De Vere Belton Woods Hotel in Grantham.

The annual award is for Outstanding Service to the Administration of Sport and is open to both volunteer and paid representatives. 

For 28 years Ms Smillie has worked tirelessly for her sport of badminton at grass-roots, youth and Elite professional level.

Her nomination came from the Scottish Sports Association, whose Policy Director Chris Robison said in his citation: "Anne is known for her enthusiasm and dynamic approach to sport and is recognised as one of the characters in Scottish sport.

"She is the longest serving and one of the most successful Chief Executives in British sport. When she joined the Scottish Badminton Union in 1981, it was a small organisation with only two members of staff, virtually no public profile, and no long-term sponsors.

"Over the past 25 years she has turned the organisation into one of the most respected Governing Bodies, not just in Scotland, but around the world.

"She is renowned for her untiring efforts to promote Scottish Badminton. Indeed her talents in marketing and negotiating have forged invaluable and long-lasting partnerships for the sport with numerous sponsors, and in particular with Glasgow City Council, Yonex UK and Bank of Scotland.

"She is considered by many in the sporting world as having an unrivalled ability to attract and stage major world events, having been responsible for bringing to Scotland two European Championships, a European Junior Championships and two World Championships, the most recent of which was held at Glasgow's Scotstoun in June 2007 and was hailed by the Badminton World Federation as the most successful to date.

"At BADMINTONscotland she has built up a staff of a dozen full-time employees and has forged a team of around 400 volunteers, who freely give their time at the many events held throughout each year.

"She has done outstanding work at every level of the sport, securing funding to drive initiatives for the young, the disabled, and the veterans, as well as the junior and senior national teams."

The one disappointment was that Anne was unable to attend tonight's awards dinner as it clashed with the first day in Glasgow of the Bank of Scotland International Championships, the No. 1 event on the Badminton Europe circuit.

But she said: "I am proud to receive this award, not for myself but for all the staff at BADMINTONscotland and for the army of volunteers and loyal supporters who work tirelessly each year to assist us in our endeavours to promote our great sport.

"What I am particularly proud of is BADMINTONscotland's unrivalled track record of staging major events at world, European and junior level and I hope, with the support of our loyal sponsors and backers, we can continue to do that as we strive to raise the profile of badminton more and more."

For further information contact BADMINTONscotland on 0141 445 1218