Olympian and CEO of the USA Badminton, Linda French resumed her relationship with badminton after a few years to continue adding efforts to development of our sport in the United States.
Within the framework of International Women’s Day, Badminton Pan Am celebrates outstanding women in our sport through interviews throughout the month of March: The Pan Am Women’s Month.
“Having been away from badminton for many years, I returned because of my passion for popularizing badminton in the U.S. Our top priority will always be to provide a safe, healthy, fair and happy environment for everyone to participate. With the unique opportunity to compete at home at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028, we are also focused on growing the sport. It is important that, as the sport grows, we empower our athletes and ensure that they are supported both on and off the court as they progress from grassroots to elite competition.”
Since badminton is her family sport, Linda managed to stand out and be a very successful athlete in her country, competing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and winning numerous international medals, such as the 1995 Pan Am Games.
“My family played badminton ever since I can remember. My grandfather helped found the American Badminton Association in the ’30s, my parents played, and my siblings played at an elite-level as well. My now 94-year-old mother played with Ken Davidson at the Hyde Park YMCA in Chicago in 1937. In my experience, it wasn’t about choosing a sport to play, but rather finding my place within my family’s sport and becoming enamored with it as both an individual endeavor and a family activity.”
With experience on and off the courts, Linda can assure that the benefits of badminton are innumerable and that despite the great effort and sacrifices of an athlete, the return that the sport gives is much greater.
“The benefits of badminton are as diverse as the people who play the sport. By playing badminton, I have met wonderful people, attended college, traveled around the world, developed confidence by overcoming challenges, and maintained a healthy and active lifestyle. When I was an elite athlete, I invested so much time and effort into this sport, but at the end of the day, the sport has given me so much more in return.”
In her profession as an immigration attorney and in her current position as CEO of USA Badminton, French faced different challenges and has managed to overcome them for her personal benefit and those around her. In badminton she also found many challenges and also interesting lessons that our sport gives to move forward.
“Due to the fact that badminton is still a relatively small sport with fewer resources, there are many challenges to overcome. However, badminton is growing and starting to thrive. In badminton, we learn many lessons of dedication, tenacity, and teamwork, so we embrace these challenges with the same mindset.”
As an outstanding athlete, as a coach, as a manager, Linda encourages more women to join the sport, create their own opportunities, and continue to inspire more women to go forward, dream and achieve their goals.
“Go for it. Badminton is an incredibly welcoming sport, but we need more women in all roles and at all levels. Take action and do not wait for others to extend invitations to you; create your own opportunities. It can be uncomfortable to be the only woman in the room, but you are paving the way and inspiring other girls and women to achieve their dreams.”
