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FORMER badminton international and seven-times National mixed doubles champion Christine Black (Edinburgh) is BADMINTONscotland's new President.

The Commonwealth Games mixed doubles bronze medallist in 1986 in Edinburgh, who won 56 Scotland caps in a glittering international career from 1977-1990, took office at the annual meeting of the Scottish Badminton Union in Stirling on Sunday.

Black, who has gone from Scotland player to team manager at major tournaments and is still enjoying success as a player on the international Seniors circuit, succeeds Leon Douglas (West Lothian) as President.

The new President, who is married to the former international hammer thrower Chris Black, said: "I have played badminton since I was 12 years old and this is one of the greatest honours in my career. I am looking forward to serving my sport over the next two years and putting something back into a game that has given me so much."

BADMINTONscotland's Senior Vice President is now Karen Stalker (Dunfermline), who is earmarked for office in 2011, and Junior Vice President Ronnie Conway (Uddingston), who is in line to take over as President for the important 2013/2015 term which will encompass the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

With the Commonwealth Games countdown well and truly under way, BADMINTONscotland Chief Executive Anne Smillie presented the new Strategic Plan to the meeting for approval.

"It is our vision for the sport for the next 5 years." she said. "It contains an outline of the programme of changes that will drive the sport forward up to and after the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In her report to the annual meeting, Smillie added: "In season 2008/2009 BADMINTONscotland continued its excellent progress of recent years in aspiring to become one of Scotland’s leading governing bodies of sport.

"Both the professional staff and the volunteers within the Union have worked tirelessly over the last 12 months to ensure the targets outlined in our business plan are being delivered.”