Torsten Berg
Torsten Berg has been involved in international badminton for
more than 37 years, contributing both to the administration of the game and its
refereeing.
It all started in 1985 with his election as
Continental Representative for Europe in what was then the International
Badminton Federation. He went on to serve for 28 years on the BWF Council in a
wide range of roles, including as BWF Vice President for Europe (2002-2013),
and in several committees, commissions, and working groups representing all
facets of the sport. Torsten was involved in the Development Committee
(1985-2000 - and as Chair (1988 - 1995), the Rules and Laws Committee (1985-2000), the Administration
Committee (2001-2013), the Courts Officials Committee (1995-2018) and as Chair
of the IOC and International Relations Committee (2008-2013).
Between 2009 and 2012, Torsten guided the
integration of Para Badminton into the governance and management structures of
the BWF with the strong support of the BWF President Dr Kang Young Joong, and
advocated for the greater participation of women in the BWF structures.
Torsten was Chair of the Awards Commission (2009-2013)
and member of the named Constitution / Governance & Ethics Commission
(2009-2022), a position in which he contributed to the development of BWF’s governance
and ethics rules.
Despite his long involvement in badminton’s
administration, Torsten’s heart was always on the court, or around it,
refereeing the sport. A certificated referee since 1986, he has served the game
at the highest level – refereeing at three Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens
2004 and London 2012), as well as several BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals, BWF
World Championships and Sudirman Cups.
His final tenure as a BWF Certificated Referee was at the BWF World
Superseries Finals in 2013 and he has since continued as a Referee Assessor
until today.