National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes named an Elite Training Centre ahead of Olympics

Milton Keynes National Badminton Centre has been named as one of the first Elite Training Centres (ETC) ahead of the Olympics in Paris next year.

It is one of only eight sports facilities to be awarded the status of ‘UK Sport-accredited Elite Training Centre’, by UK Sport, the organisation responsible for the strategic investment of Government and National Lottery funding into Olympic and Paralympic sport and major events.

To earn the status, the centre demonstrated it is providing elite facilities and equipment, staff, and overall organisational culture – with a clear commitment to continuous improvement.

Dr Kate Baker, Director of Performance at UK Sport, said: “Our Elite Training Centre (ETC) hosts provide the essential daily training environments for our Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

"The ETC accreditation framework reflects the excellence of their support and our confidence that they will continue to empower athletes’ sustainable high-performance.”

All eight organisations, and the facilities they provide, will now work to deliver improvement plans that will outline the continued development of their training environments. They form a network that will benefit from shared learning and continuous improvement.

The other centres to become ETCs include:

Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre,

Holme Pierrepont National Water Sports Centre,

Loughborough University,

Lilleshall National Sports Centre,

Manchester City Council,

Sheffield City Council,

University of Bath.

The National Badminton Centre, based in Bradwell Road, Loughton, is a purpose-built elite training facility that provides a base for the Great Britain and England badminton squads.