After over a decade as a professional badminton athlete, Dutch player Joran Kweekel is stepping into a new role, this time off court, as he joins the RSL BEC High Performance Centre as a coach.

Kweekel recently announced his retirement from international badminton, a decision he described as difficult but necessary. As a three-time national champion and with several podium finishes in the European Circuit, Joran also represented the Netherlands at both the European Championships and World Championships.

Now, he brings that wealth of experience to the RSL BEC High Performance Centre. “I have been a professional badminton athlete for the past +10 years and have been doing badminton my whole life. So I have been close to this world and this is also one of the motivations behind working at the High Performance Centre — to help other athletes become the best athlete they can be.”

His passion for athlete development and perspective as a recently retired player were a big part of what drew him to the role. “I hope to bring young fresh energy and to bring my player’s view combined with my coaching view together, to be able to bring new ideas and set up a system that would make the players excited to stay.”

Joran is especially looking forward to working with the athletes at the High Performance Centre. “To be working with young inspiring athletes and teaching them to become their best possible athletes they can be.”

His philosophy is built on perseverance and consistency, a mindset he hopes to pass on. “My lesson in life would be to stay true to what you have set out to do, long after the mood you have said it in has left. Staying true to the job/task also when the motivation or the enthusiasm has left. To still finish the job/task.”

He relocated to Denmark a while ago and one of his favourite things about the country is their approach to sports. “I love Denmark’s mentality. They are very innovative when it comes to sports, I love especially Copenhagen. The only thing I would change is to have a bit more sun.”

Outside of badminton, Joral is a fan of fine dining and good wine, and enjoys winding down with the occasional “YouTube nights on the couch” although, as he puts it, “You can always wake me up for a good hard training anywhere.”

Badminton Europe’s Development & High Performance Senior Manager, Jacob Oehlenschlaeger, is extremely please with the new addition to the team. “We are very pleased to welcome Joran Kweekel to the coaching team at the RSL BEC High Performance Centre. Joran is well respected in the European badminton community and has a strong network at the European Elite circuit from his time as a player. 

He also emphasised the value of Joran’s transition from elite athlete to elite coach, a journey supported by education and a strong partnership with the High Performance Centr staff. “We are very pleased with Joran making the transition from an international top player to become an international top coach. Part of the transition includes that Joran is strengthening his coaching skills by attending the ADVANCE badminton coaching education. Joran and Dennis, Head Coach at the RSL BEC High Performance Centre, will form a strong partnership which will help developing the players at the centre.”

Welcome, Joran! We’re excited to have you join the RSL BEC High Performance Centre.