It wasn’t that long ago that Lilit Poghosyan packed her bags to leave her sheltered existence in Armenia to go to Denmark, to pursue life as a badminton player.
That was just seven years ago, but a lot has changed since then. When she left, badminton was barely known in her country, and it was unheard-of for players to dream of a life in the sport.
Now, as coach of the Armenian junior team, Poghosyan is proud of how far the country has come. She talks about the increasing number of players, both at the competitive and recreational levels, the organisation of tournaments, and the shifting attitude of parents.
Lilit Poghosyan at the European Games 2019
“It’s really small steps but it’s developing, and I’m proud of what we’re doing currently,” says the former No.199 in women’s singles.
Armenia’s young players seeking motivation need look no further than their coach, who dared to follow her ambitions in Denmark. She trained at Badminton Europe’s Centre of Excellence, playing in second division leagues in Denmark and Germany for two years, before injuries forced her to stop playing and take up coaching instead.
“It was unusual (in Armenia). Nobody ever does it,” said Poghosyan. “We don’t have big names in Armenia, we never had Olympics participants, and I was trying to make it but I didn’t make it. But at least I made it to the European Games in 2019 in Belarus. I made history for Armenia as it was the first time a badminton player from Armenia qualified for such a big event.
Lilit Poghosyan at the European Games 2019
“It took a lot of courage. But I have badminton in my family. My father and aunts all were badminton players and now they’re coaches, so it runs in my blood. So when I decided to do this, it was easy to convince my parents, and they supported me.”
Like other young people dealing with a different culture and climate, Poghosyan struggled initially, before growing comfortable with her new life as a badminton professional.
“I had a culture shock when I arrived in Denmark, because it’s really different. Everything outside of badminton of course, but even on court, it’s very different how everything is structured and organised. It took me maybe one or two months to get into rhythm, and then I completely enjoyed that life. It’s one of the highlights of my badminton career.
“I learnt how to adapt to different situations and I learnt to communicate with different kinds of people. Psychologically as well, it helped me get better. It made me more independent. In Armenia, families really stick to their kids – ‘you cannot go here, don’t do this or that…’ but back in Denmark, I learnt how to take care of my own life. Being independent was really nice.”
After two years in Denmark, an Achilles injury forced her to return to Armenia. Covid followed, and a chance query got her interested in coaching.
“One of my players asked me to coach her and that’s how I started. It was easy for me as I had the BWF Level 1 and Level 2 (coaching certificate) from back in Denmark, where I studied, so I already had the qualification to become a coach. It was easy for me even though I thought it would be hard and that I wouldn’t be able to make it and so on.”
Lilit Poghosyan
Having seen first-hand the evolution of badminton in her country, Poghosyan is thrilled with the upward trajectory of the sport.
“The number of participants has been increasing – both professional players and kids and so on, and also hobby players. The parents are quite interested, which is really nice, because my generation and before, parents were not interested. They sent them to badminton just to get rid of them (laughs). Now the parents are helping me understand their kids, and they’re proud this is happening to them. We have many interested parents.
“In the next few years, if we keep up the same work, it will be one of the most popular sports in Armenia… because people (earlier) hadn’t seen racket sports. But with a lot of people coming, they communicate with their friends and now there are new people in the hall every day.
“We have been doing different projects with Badminton Europe and BWF as well and in May we even organised an international youth tournament for the first time. So it’s a big step in the development of badminton.”
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