As he sat in the coach’s chair at the VICTOR Oceania Championships, Guillaume Gailly donned a shirt with a name and logo he’s only recently become properly acquainted with.
The French para badminton medalist and long-time coach has taken on a new identity: head coach and technical manager of the Polynésian Badminton Federation (formerly Tahiti Badminton Federation).
His appointment followed his ten-day trip to Tahiti to deliver both a BWF Level 1 Coach and a Shuttle Time Tutor course.
Gailly’s path to the coach’s chair at North Harbour has been one of perseverance. With tremendous highs and lows, his passion for the sport has taken him across the world in both the para and able-bodied spaces.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
Badminton first entered Gailly’s life when he was 13. He joined a local club, dipping in and out of the sport through his teenage years and early adulthood. One day, he noticed volunteer requests pinned around the club. Curious, he stepped into new territory: helping with coaching sessions and assisting at tournaments.
Not long after, he found himself leading his first training group, every Tuesday night from 9:30 to 11pm.
“As coach, I was lucky because we already had a team in a big team event in France,” he explained. “I had a coach who was with me, and I could follow him for the first competitions and follow the players. And I could go to the French National Championship and be the second coach.”
He seized opportunities as they came, eventually rising through the club to become its president. But in 2000, he made a decisive choice: to commit fully to coaching.
“I started to be interested in going to some other countries and I had the opportunity to go working in Madagascar for a course for the trainers and also for a player’s camp. So, I went with Olympic Solidarity for the first time in Madagascar.”
From there, his work expanded. Gailly collaborated with the BWF, travelled to Haiti to implement Shuttle Time, and supported member associations across the globe.
At the centre of it all remained a simple motivation.
“I just love the game. I love trying to understand what the opponents are doing—to analyse, to find the best advice to help players win, especially when the match is tight.”
A NEW CHALLENGE
In 2015, everything changed. A motorcycle accident cost him his left foot and forced him to rethink his life — but not his relationship with badminton.
“I already had experience with para badminton because I was a volunteer coach with the French players in the European Championship in 2012,” he explained. “After I got in the accident, I said, ‘Okay, I know it’s possible to keep on playing badminton.’”
He knew para badminton was entering the Paralympic programme. He set himself a goal. It was time to see what he could do.
Over the next few years, Gailly juggled training, competing, and coaching. His new endeavour took him all over the world—from Australia to South America and Africa. He became European Champion and a World Championship bronze medalist in the men’s doubles.
In the lead-up to Paris 2024, Gailly decided to focus on singles training in pursuit of a Paralympics bid. The intense workload eventually strained his body, and though he didn’t qualify, he gained something equally valuable.
“I tried and that was really interesting for me to be engaged in such a project,” Gailly expressed. “The experience was really interesting. I didn’t know the high-level experience as a player before, and now I know what the players feel when they come to a competition, so I can share with them, and I can understand a little bit more what is interesting and important for them.”
A PACIFIC OPPORTUNITY
Gailly coaching the Tahiti team at VICTOR Oceania Championships 2025
After his ten‑day visit to Tahiti, Gailly felt an unexpected pull. The full-time position available on the island continued to circulate his mind.
“After I visited the federation and met the players and the projects they’re doing there I was really interested,” he explained. “I talked to my wife and she said ‘Yes, we go, we go.’ We were living in Thailand, my wife is Thai. So, for us going there is very interesting work for me and also for her learning French.”
His first week on the job was at the VICTOR Oceania Championships 2026. Sitting on the coach’s chair, the week reaffirmed impressions he’d formed earlier as a para player in Bendigo, watching Oceania athletes compete at the YONEX Bendigo International.
He had already seen many of these players at major events worldwide—the World Championships, the Olympic Games—and recognised how quickly the region was progressing.
“When I was a young coach, badminton in Oceania was far behind some of the other confederations,” he reflected. “But now the gap is completely different.”
Years of development work with BWF and his exposure to emerging federations have given him a front‑row view of Oceania’s rise. It’s a trend he’s eager to contribute to.
For Tahiti, the next major milestone is clear: the Pacific Games, which the nation will host next year. A brand-new competition venue is now under construction, and once the Games conclude, it will become a dedicated home for badminton. For Gailly, the facility represents more than a stadium, it’s also foundation for long-term growth. Training sessions, courses, junior development, and high-performance work will all find a central base.
He’s committed not only to supporting the current national squad, but to shaping the next generation. Working with children, students, and emerging athletes will form a key part of his mission. And importantly, he’s already thinking beyond his own tenure.
“I don’t know how long I will stay as coach,” he said, “but I want to prepare others to take over. It would make me very happy to see a coach from French Polynesia eventually step into my place and lead the players and all the federation’s activities.”
With new infrastructure, youthful energy, and an experienced mentor at the helm, Tahiti’s next chapter is taking shape, and Gailly is determined to help write it.
