Poul-Erik Nielsen

In the world of badminton Poul-Erik Nielsen was one of the best doubles players during the late 1950s and the early 1960. At the All England Badminton Championships Nielsen won the men’s doubles titles in 1958 and 1960, and won the mixed doubles title in 1959. He was also the runner-up in the mixed doubles in 1960 and 1962, and the runner-up in the men’s doubles in 1961 and 1964. Nielsen won four national titles during his career and played in 33 matches for Denmark from 1954 to 1964.

After his playing career Nielsen initially worked for the Danish Ministry of Taxation before returning to badminton with his administrative skills. After joining the Danish Badminton Association and the European Badminton Union, Nielsen began working for the International Badminton Federation (IBF) in 1974. By 1976 he was the chair of the rules and laws committee, and after the merger between the IBF and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in 1981, Nielsen was elected as the Vice-President. From 1984 to 1986 Nielsen served as the President of the BWF, helping badminton to become an Olympic sport for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.