Badminton World Federation: working hard to raise the status of Badminton
There is a multitude of games that are played with a racquet, but if we compare all these sports, it is badminton that is gaining in popularity. In fact, in some parts of the world it has become the most popular and the highest played
game. The Badminton World Federation is striving hard to promote the sport and increase the awareness of this exciting game.
The BWF is the autonomous body for holding, organising, and sanctioning all different types of badminton tournaments along with making new rules and regulations for the game. Previously, the Badminton World Federation was named as
the International Badminton Federation, but under that name the organisation could not meet the expectations of the players and in response the name was changed and this new federation was formed.
Now, the BWF is successfully holding many different kinds of national and international tournaments under its control. In some developing world countries where the people’s income is very low and the youth are idle and disillusioned,
the BWF along with other various badminton sponsoring companies are starting many different programs for attracting individuals to the game. The hope is to make badminton popular amongst the youth of these countries and create a healthy and harmonious activity
that will add to the prestige of the game.
It is a known fact that at present, badminton is not as popular as cricket, football, and tennis, but the BWF is working hard to make the sport attractive. In 2011, the organisation has started many exciting tournaments like the Malaysian
Open Tournament and the VICTOR Korea Open Tournament. These tournaments have prize money in the millions, which is attracting a large number of top players from all over the world. All the upcoming Super series tournaments are also a great attraction for many
players, due to the high prize money and extensive media coverage.
The way badminton is progressing has become a ray of hope for the sports community. In the recent decade, under the administration of the BWF, badminton is flourishing and hopes to give tennis a tough time in popularity. The developing
and organising of a large number of international tournaments after a space of only a month is the best strategy of the BWF for promoting the game. Under these dynamic initiatives, badminton is going to make a strong impression among the more popular sports
throughout the world.
At present the BWF organises the Super Series events which include 13 tournaments and 12 Grand Prix events. These tournaments collectively gather a minimum amount of $200,000 as prize money. The venues of every tournament are changed,
as to make the game popular in different areas and give the players and spectators a chance to attend and participate in the tournaments easily.
Another important step that the BWF is taking is organising the Super Series Masters Finals at the end of every season. These events offer $500,000 in prize money which is double the amount compared to the Super Series tournaments.
Another notable aspect of these events is that only eight top ranking badminton players participate in these tournaments and prize money is also decided by the host country.
Recently, the BWF has made many changes in the dressing code of the female badminton players for the purpose of having an attractive presentation of the sport in international tournaments. New rules have been developed that state if
any player from the top 60 is not fit to play or does not want to participate in the event, then the player at the next number will be called for participating. Some terms and conditions are also set for the host country. This will allow the host country to
broadcast all the matches of the tournament and there will be a live telecast of the semi-finals and finals.
The above discussion shows that the formation of an autonomous body at the world level proved to be a blessing for promoting badminton in various countries and for supporting the players. The BWF is working hard to promote the sport
around the world through various initiatives like providing assistance to young and talented badminton players from developing countries, starting basic programs at the school level and establishing training clubs for the experienced players. These positive
activities of the BWF will one day make badminton among the top sports played globally.
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