2 Olympic Champions Took Part at Badminton 2023 European Games

Multi-sport event European Games ongoing in Poland. Opening ceremony was held on June 21 at Miejeski Stadium.

Badminton is one of  25 sports at 2023 European Games that receive spotlight.

Because there are two Olympic gold winners who are also world champion title holders, Viktor Axelsen and Carolina Marin.

World's top badminton players in Europe region are enthusiastic about participating in the European Games because this event also for Olympic qualifying points, which will be held in 2024 at Paris.

Danish player Viktor Axelsen, who has just made his debut at the European Games, is strongest candidate to win men's singles.

Another Danish player, Anders Antonsen, is Axelsen's toughest competitor. 

Antonsen is the European Games men's singles gold winner in 2019.

The French men's player, Toma Junior Popov, is the toughest opponent for Axelsen and Antonsen.

Carolina Marin is also first time.participating in the European Games.

Marin, female badminton player from Spain who won the 2016 Olympics is the strongest candidate to win the 2023 European Games.

Carolina Marin/ photo: bwfbadminton.com

Two Danish players, Mia Blichfeldt (2019 gold medalist), and Line Kjaersfeldt (2015 gold medalist), were Marin's strongest opponents.

Other former badminton gold medalists at the previous European Games taking part this year are Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva, and mixed doubles duo from England, Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith.

The badminton games will be held from June 26 in Tarnow at the Jaskolka Arena, second-largest facility in Lesser Poland which has 4296 seats in the auditorium. 

Men's Singles 

Group A

• (1) Viktor Axelsen (Denmark, rank.1)
• Giovanni Toti (Italy, rank.107) 
• Dominik Kwinta (Poland, rank.311)
• Teodor Ioan Cioroboiu (Romania, rank 720)

Group B

• (2) Anders Antonsen (Denmark, rank.15)
• Kalle Koljonen (Finland, rank.68)
• Felix Burestedt (Sweden, rank.77)
• Emre Lale (Turkiye, rank.367)

Group C

• (3) Toma Junior Popov (France, rank.27)
• Bernardo Atilano (Portugal, rank 83)
• Tobias Kuenzi (Switzerland, rank.144)
• Karl Kert (Estonia, rank 305)

Group D

• (4) Nhat Nguyen (Ireland, rank.32)
• Mark Caljouw (Netherlands, rank.52)
• Milan Dratva (Slovakia, rank.127)
• Johnnie Torjussen (Great Britain, rank.147)

Group E

• (5) Christo Popov (France, rank.31)
• Matthew Abela (Malta, rank 224)
• Gergo Titel (Hungary, rank.268)
• Filip Spoljarec (Croatia, rank.405)

Group F

• (6) Misha Zilberman (Israel, rank.47) 
• Markus Barth (Norway, rank.200)
• Andras Krapez (Slovenia, rank 483)
• Jerome Pauquet (Luxembourg, rank.496)

Group G

• (7) Luis Enrique Penalver (Spain, rank.61)
• Ade Resky Dwicahyo (Azerbaijan, rank.76)
• Danylo Bosniuk (Ukraine, rank.92)
• Dimitar Yanakiev (Bulgaria, rank 206)

Group H

• (8) Jan Louda (Czech, rank.55)
• Kai Schaefer (Germany, rank 70)
• Julien Carraggi (Belgium, rank 71)
• Luka Wraber (Austria, rank 97)

Women's Singles

Group A

• (1) Carolina Marin (Spain, rank.6)
• Jenjira Stadelmann (Switzerland, rank.76)
• Ksenia Polikarpova (Israel, rank.102)
• Katarina Vargova (Slovakia, rank.266)

Group B

• (2) Mia Blichfeldt (Denmark, rank.16)
• Petra Polanc (Slovenia, rank.138)
• Kim Schmidt (Luxembourg, rank.213)
• Katrin Neudolt (Austria, rank.238)

Group C

• (3) Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt (Denmark, rank.27)
• Polina Buhrova (Ukraine, rank.69)
• Hristomira Popovska (Bulgaria, rank.107)
• Edith Urell (Sweden, rank.119)

Group D

• (4) Yvonne Li (Germany, rank.24)
• Keisha Fatimah Az Zahra (Azerbaijan, rank.113)
• Vlada Ginga (Moldova, rank.236)
• Samanta Golubickaite (Lithuania, rank.240)

Group E

• (5) Kirsty Gilmour (Great Britain, rank.32)
• Wiktoria Dabczynska (Poland, rank.128)
• Jaymie Laurens (Netherlands, rank.289)
• Eleni Christodoulou (Cyprus, rank.291)

Group F

• (6) Lianne Tan (Belgium, rank.45)
• Vivien Sandorhazi (Hungary, rank.74)
• Yasmine Hamza (Italy, rank.120)
• Nella Nyqvist (Finland, rank.407)

Group G

• (7) Qi Xuefei (France, rank.52)
• Rachael Darragh (Ireland, rank.84)
• Tereza Svabikova (Czech, rank.96)
• Marija Sudimac (Serbia, rank.234)

Group H

• (8) Kristin Kuuba (Estonia, rank.48)
• Neslihan Yigit (Turkiye, rank.62)
• Jekaterina Romanova (Latvia, rank.288)
• Grammatoula Sotiriou (Greece, rank.534)

Men's Doubles

Group A

• (1) Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Denmark, rank.14)
• Ruben Jille/Ties Van Der Lecq (Netherlands, rank.45)
• Torjus Flaatten/Vegard Rikheim (Norway, rank.67)
• David Bjarni Bjornsson/Kristofer Darri Finnsson (Iceland, rank.297) 

Group B

• (2) Ben Lane/Sean Vendy (Great Britain, rank.17)
• Joshua Magee/Paul Reynolds (Ireland, rank.59)
• Giovanni Greco/David Salutt (Italy, rank 99)
• Ade Resky Dwicahyo/Azmy Qowimuramadhoni (Azerbaijan, rank 106)

Group C

• (3) Mark Lamsfuss/Marvin Seidel (Germany, rank 21)
• Joel Hansson/Melker Z-Bexell (Sweden, rank.110)
• Ivan Rusev/Iliyan Stoynov (Bulgaria, rank.121)
• Glib Beketov/Mykhaylo Makhnovskiy (Ukraine, rank.328)

Group D

• (4) Alexander Dunn/Adam Hall (Great Britain, rank.26)
• Christo Popov/Toma Junior Popov (France, rank 39)
• Ondrej Kral/Adam Mendrek (Czech, rank 60)
• Milosz Bochat/Robert Cybulski (Poland, rank.157)

Women's Doubles 

Group A

• (1) Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva (Bulgaria, rank.18)
• Kati-Kreet Marran/Helina Ruutel (Estonia, rank 58)
• Dominika Kwasnik/Kornelia Marczak (Poland, rank.80)
• Marie Christensen/Aimee Hong (Norway, rank.104)

Stoeva sister/ photo: bwfbadminton.com

Group B

• (2) Maiken Fruergaard/Sara Thygesen (Denmark, rank 20)
• Julie MacPherson/Ciara Torrance (Great Britain, rank.31)
• Maria Stoliarenko/Yelyzaveta Zharka (Ukraine, rank.48)
• Martina Corsini/Judith Mair (Italy, rank.57)

Group C

• (3) Margot Lambert/Anne Tran (France, rank.31)
• Linda Efler/Isabel Lohau (Germany, rank.33)
• Kate Frost/Moya Ryan (Ireland, rank 60)
• Moa Sjoo/Tilda Sjoo (Sweden, rank.64)

Group D

• (4) Debora Jille/Cheryl Seinen (Netherlands, rank.34)
• Clara Azurmendi/Beatriz Corrales (Spain.rank.45)
• Keisha Fatimah Az Zahra/Era Maftuha (Azerbaijan, rank 82)
• Serena Au Yeong/Katharina Hochmeier (Austria, rank.90)

Mixed Doubles

Group A

• (1) Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue (France, rank.8)
• Gianmarco Bailetti/Martina Corsini (Italy, rank.99)
• Milan Dratva/Katarina Vargova (Slovakia, rank.110)
• Joshua Magee/Moya Ryan (Ireland, rank.116)

Group B

• (2) Robin Tabeling/Selena Piek (Netherlands, rank.11)
• Misha Zilberman/Svetlana Zilberman (Israel, rank.85)
• Iliyan Stoynov/Hristomira Popovska (Bulgaria, rank.101)
• Smilowski/Magdalena Swierczynska (Poland, rank 171)

Group C

• (3) Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Boje (Denmark, rank.9)
• Mihajlo Tomic/Andjela Vitamin (Serbia, rank.73)
• Fredrik Kristensen/Aimee Hong (Norway, rank.113)
• Minh Quang Pham/Caroline Racloz (Switzerland, rank.130)

Group D

• (4) Mark Lamsfuss/Isabel Lohau (Germany, rank.22)
• Marcus Ellis/Lauren Smith (Great Britain, rank.46)
• Miha Ivancic/Petra Polanc (Slovenia, rank.78)
• Philip Birker/Katharina Hochmeier (Austria, rank.88)