Badminton Association of India (BAI) President Akhilesh Das Gupta was today elected to the Badminton World Federation's Executive Council by a record number of votes in the election at Kuala Lumpur today.
Das Gupta received the highest number of votes amongst all the elected members of the 2013 BWF Executive Council body, earning 259 out of a maximum of 262 votes.
"It's a matter of great pride and responsibility to represent India in the BWF Executive Council body. I'm humbled to receive the overwhelming support of my colleagues in the international fraternity and thank them for giving me this opportunity to serve world badminton," said Das Gupta.
"My election also proves that Indian badminton is now perceived as a strong player by the international community. It will be my endeavour to promote and espouse the cause of world badminton in general and Indian badminton in particular," he added.
Meanwhile, in a change in the power echelon of the BWF, former Olympic champion in the men's singles in the 1996 Atlanta Games, Denmark's Paul-Erik Hoyer Larsen was elected as the new BWF President.
