The Badminton World Federation, aka BWF, is the international governing body for the sport of badminton approved by the International Olympic Committee. It was founded on 5 July 1934 as the International Badminton Federation with nine member nations: Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. In 1981, the IBF merged with the World Badminton Federation, and on 24 September 2006, at the Extraordinary General Meeting in Madrid, the name of the organization was changed to Badminton World Federation.[2]
 | |
| Abbreviation | BWF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 5 July 1934 |
| Founded at |  Cheltenham, United Kingdom |
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters |  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Membership | 201 member associations |
President |  Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen |
Revenue (2019) | US$25.79 million[1] |
| Expenses (2019) | US$28.27 million[1] |
| Website | www |
When the BWF was founded, its head office was located in Cheltenham, UK. It was then relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 1, 2005.[3] Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen is the current president.[4] The BWF has 201 member nations around the world, organized into 5 continental confederations.[5]
Continental federations
edit
The BWF works in co-operation with regional governing bodies to promote and develop the sport of badminton around the world, they are:[6]
| Region | Confederation | Members | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | Badminton Asia (BA) | 43 | |
| Europe | Badminton Europe (BE) | 54 | |
| Americas | Badminton Pan America (BPA) | 37 | |
| Africa | Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) | 44 | |
| Oceania | Badminton Oceania (BO) | 16 | |
| Total | 194 | ||
Presidents
editBelow is the list of presidents since 1934:[7]
| No. | Years | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1934–1955 | George Alan Thomas | United Kingdom
|
| 2 | 1955–1957 | John Plunkett-Dillon |  Ireland
|
| 3 | 1957–1959 | Brigadier Bruce Hay | United Kingdom
|
| 4 | 1959–1961 | A. C. J. van Vossen |  Netherlands
|
| 5 | 1961–1963 | John McCallum | Ireland
|
| 6 | 1963–1965 | Nils Peder Kristensen | Denmark
|
| 7 | 1965–1969 | David Bloomer | United Kingdom
|
| 8 | 1969–1971 | Humphrey Chilton | United Kingdom
|
| 9 | 1971–1974 | Ferry Sonneville |  Indonesia
|
| 10 | 1974–1976 | Stuart Wyatt | United Kingdom
|
| 11 | 1976–1981 | Stellan Mohlin |  Sweden
|
| 12 | 1981–1984 | Craig Reedie | United Kingdom
|
| 13 | 1984–1986 | Poul-Erik Nielsen | Denmark
|
| 14 | 1986–1990 | Ian Palmer |  New Zealand
|
| 15 | 1990–1993 | Arthur Jones | United Kingdom
|
| 16 | 1993–2001 | Lu Shengrong |  China
|
| 17 | 2001–2005 | Korn Dabbaransi |  Thailand
|
| 18 | 2005–2013 | Kang Young-Joong |  South Korea
|
| 19 | 2013– | Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen | Denmark
|
Rankings
editThe BWF World Ranking and BWF World Junior Ranking are introduced to determine the strength of the players. BWF World Ranking is used for determining the qualification for entry and seeding for the BWF-sanctioned tournament. The points awarded is based on the final results of each tournament participated for the past 52 weeks. Junior Ranking consists of players under 19 years old.
Tournaments
editGrade 1 (S-Tier)
editThe BWF regularly organises seven major international badminton events and two events for para-badminton:
Major tournaments:
- BWF World Championships
- Thomas Cup
- Uber Cup
- Sudirman Cup
- Olympic Games in co-operation with International Olympic Committee
Other major tournaments:
Para major tournaments:
- Para-Badminton World Championships
- Paralympic Games in co-operation with International Paralympic Committee (sports added since Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games)
Event(s) are no longer held regularly:
- World Cup was suspended since 1997. However, the BWF revived the event in 2005 (with China as host) but only as an invitational tournament. China swept gold in all 5 categories.
Grade 2 (A-Tier)
editGrade 2 tournaments, known as BWF World Tour was sanctioned into six levels with different world ranking points awarded, as order they are:
- Level 1: BWF World Tour Finals
- Level 2: BWF World Tour Super 1000
- Level 3: BWF World Tour Super 750
- Level 4: BWF World Tour Super 500
- Level 5: BWF World Tour Super 300
- Level 6: BWF Tour Super 100
The events that were formerly held from 2007 to 2017 are:
Grade 3 (B-Tier)
editGrade 3 tournaments, known as Continental Circuit was sanctioned into three levels with different world ranking points awarded, as order they are:
Awards
editThe BWF bestows special honours onto players, umpires, sponsors, and other individuals for their achievement in badminton or for their contributions to badminton.[9]
- Lifetime Achievement
- Hall of Fame
- Herbert Scheele Trophy
- Distinguished Service
- Meritorius Service
- Certificate of Commendation
- BWF Awards
- Best Male and Female Player of the Year
- Most Promising Player of the Year
Logo
editOver the years, the organization has had several logos. Originally it used the IBF logo. As the BWF, a new logo was adopted in 2007.[10] In 2012 it adopted a new, streamlined logo.[11]
-
BWF logo 2012–present
Aborted clothing rule
editThe BWF and Octagon developed a rule that women badminton players must wear dresses or skirts "to ensure attractive presentation." It was included in the official rulebook in 2011, but was dropped before it was supposed to go into effect in 2012.[12][13]
Publications
edit- World Badminton (Journal)
- The IBF Handbook
See also
edit- BWF World Ranking
- World Badminton Federation (merged with the IBF in 1981)
References
edit- ^ a b Perelman, Rich (24 May 2020). "Who's in the money? EXCLUSIVE analysis of our survey of International Federation finances". The Sports Examiner. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Madrid Welcomes Badminton World Federation". BadmintonAsia.org. 29 September 2006. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "BWF Council / Executive Board". BWF. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ Leung, Edwin (18 May 2013). "Poul-Erik Hoyer Wins BWF Presidential Election". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "BWF–Memberships". BWF. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "BWF Members by Continental Confederation". BWF. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "IBF/BWF Office Baerers (since 1934)". BWF. Retrieved 11 March 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "World Senior Championships". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Awards". BWF. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ Lacroix, Yves (15 June 2007). "EXCLUSIVE – BWF Unveils New Logo Today". Badzine. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "BWF rebrand and launch new logo: Modern, Strong, Efficient". Badminton World Federation. 26 May 2012. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ "In Badminton, Pants Are Back". HuffPost. 31 May 2011.
- ^ "Badminton shelves rule requiring women wear skirts". NBC News. 4 June 2012.