Poul-Erik Nielsen
| Poul-Erik Nielsen | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Country | Denmark |
| Born | 10 April 1931 |
| Died | 14 January 2023 (aged 91) |
| Handedness | Left[1] |
Poul-Erik Nielsen (10 April 1931 – 14 January 2023)[2] was a Danish badminton player. He was a doubles specialist winning three All England titles with partners Erland Kops, Finn Kobberø and Inge Birgit Hansen and reached five more finals.[3] He has four National titles to his name and was capped 33 times by Denmark from 1954 to 1964. He was the elder brother of Knud Aage Nielsen another notable badminton player.[4]
IBF Presidency and contributions
After retiring from the sports, Poul-Erik worked in Danish Ministry of Taxation before returning to badminton with his administrative skills.[5] Poul-Erik was a brilliant innovator with several breakthrough contributions towards badminton such as:[5][6][7]
- Created the Rules and Laws committee in 1976 which in turn, expanded the sports professionals' levels and enabled the players to gain more money from prizes and so on.
- Generated mediating ideas and factors onto the president and vice-president at that time, Stellan Mohlin and Craig Reedie during the separations of IBF and World Badminton Federation (WBF) in between 1976-1981 which eventually lead to the unification of both organizations in with the signing of the Deed of Renunciation on 26 May 1981 in Tokyo between the IBF and the World Badminton Federation.
- The unification promoted him as vice-president which he intensely campaigned the badminton for Olympics by hosting the 1983 IBF World Championships in Copenhagen and did it excellently to appeal the crowd and organizers.
- Promoted as the IBF Presidents from 1984 until 1986 where he received the Olympic flag when badminton is confirmed will be held in 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
After retiring from IBF duties, Poul-Erik back to Badminton Denmark as a chairman for Committee of Rights of Appeal, a committee to handle quarrels between the Association and clubs, or between clubs or between players and clubs until 1998.[7]
Death
On 14th January 2023, Poul-Erik died at 91 after battling short illnesses.[8][7]
Achievements
International tournaments (15 titles, 14 runners-up)
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Swedish Open | Erland Kops | 6–15, 14–17 | Runner-up |
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | All England | John Nygaard | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
14–18, 5–15 | Runner-up |
| 1956 | Swedish Open | John Nygaard | Berndt Dahlberg Bertil Glans |
14–17, 15–5, 11–15 | Runner-up |
| 1956 | Denmark Open | John Nygaard | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
15–7, 8–15, 14–17 | Runner-up |
| 1958 | All England | Erland Kops | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
15–7, 11–15, 15–8 | Winner |
| 1958 | Swedish Open | Ole Mertz | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
12–15, 15–6, 15–13 | Winner |
| 1959 | German Open | Jesper Sandvad | Ingemar Eliasson Bertil Glans |
15–13, 15–8 | Winner |
| 1960 | All England | Finn Kobberø | Lim Say Hup Teh Kew San |
14–17, 15–3, 15–11 | Winner |
| 1960 | Swedish Open | Finn Kobberø | Berndt Dahlberg Bertil Glans |
15–4, 15–4 | Winner |
| 1961 | All England | Erland Kops | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
6–15, 3–15 | Runner-up |
| 1962 | German Open | Erland Kops | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
7–15, 13–15 | Runner-up |
| 1962 | Nordic Championships | Knud Aage Nielsen | Bertil Glans Göran Wahlqvist |
15–3, 14–17, 16–17 | Runner-up |
| 1963 | German Open | Erland Kops | Henning Borch Jørgen Mortensen |
15–5, 15–3 | Winner |
| 1963 | Swedish Open | Erland Kops | Henning Borch Knud Aage Nielsen |
11–15, 9–15 | Runner-up |
| 1964 | German Open | Erland Kops | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
15–3, 15–6 | Winner |
| 1964 | All England | Erland Kops | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
6–15, 3–15 | Runner-up |
| 1964 | Swedish Open | Erland Kops | Finn Kobberø Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen |
7–15, 14–17 | Runner-up |
| 1966 | German Open | Per Walsøe | Tony Jordan David Horton |
15–4, 15–5 | Winner |
| 1968 | Swedish Open | Per Walsøe | Henning Borch Erland Kops |
7–15, 11–15 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Swedish Open | Kirsten Thorndahl | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen Anni Hammergaard Hansen |
15–4, 11–15, 10–15 | Runner-up |
| 1959 | German Open | Agnete Friis | Arne Rasmussen Aase Schiøtt Jacobsen |
6–15, 15–13, 15–13 | Winner |
| 1959 | All England | Inge Birgit Hansen | Jørgen Hammergaard Hansen Kirsten Granlund |
14–17, 15–7, 15–3 | Winner |
| 1960 | All England | Inge Birgit Hansen | Finn Kobberø Kirsten Granlund |
7–15, 2–15 | Runner-up |
| 1960 | Swedish Open | Bodil Sterner | Berndt Dahlberg Ingrid Dahlberg |
15–9, 15–12 | Winner |
| 1962 | All England | Inge Birgit Hansen | Finn Kobberø Ulla Rasmussen |
1–15, 11–15 | Runner-up |
| 1962 | Nordic Championships | Ulla Rasmussen | Bertil Glans Gunilla Dahlström |
15–10, 15–14 | Winner |
| 1963 | German Open | Kirsten Granlund | Ferry Sonneville Yvonne Theresia Sonneville |
15–4, 17–14 | Winner |
| 1963 | Swedish Open | Ulla Rasmussen | Tony Jordan June Timperley |
9–15, 15–3, 15–4 | Winner |
| 1968 | Nordic Championships | Pernille Mølgaard Hansen | Elo Hansen Karin Jørgensen |
15–10, 7–15, 15–9 | Winner |
References
- ^ Scheele, H. A. E., ed. (August 1976). "Letters to the editor" (PDF). World Badminton (26 ed.). p. 19. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Tredobbelt dansk All England-vinder er død (in Danish)
- ^ Davis, Pat (1983). Guinness Book of Badminton. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0-85112-271-X.
- ^ "Poul-Erik Nielsen". Badminton Denmark.
- ^ a b "Olympedia – Poul-Erik Nielsen". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ Soborg, Preben; Ross, Louis (12 April 2021). "Happy 90th, Poul-Erik Nielsen!". bwfbadminton.com. Badminton World Federations. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Tribute to Poul-Erik Nielsen". bwfbadminton.com. Badminton World Federation. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Miklas Ravn (16 January 2023). "Den danske badmintonstjerne Poul-Erik Nielsen er død". SE og HØR (in Danish). All Media. Retrieved 25 May 2025.