On July 5, 1934, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) marked 90 years of its founding day. It is the global governing organisation for badminton, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
But when the federations came into existence, it wasn’t known by its current name. Back in 1934, the organisation took shape as the International Badminton Federation (IBF).
However, some things happened in the late 1970s and early 1980s that gave us the BWF. So what exactly happened, and who were the founding members of the BWF?
In this piece, we’ll glance at the history of the Badminton World Federation.
The Foundation of BWF
The origins of badminton trace back to Pune in India. But the game took shape in a formal way in the United Kingdom. And that’s where the sports global governing body took birth.
The sport travelled from India to England along with former British army officers. Some of those officers formed the Bath Badminton Club in 1877, setting new rules for the sport.
In 1893, the Badminton Association of England came into existence, which further worked on the rules and regulations of badminton. They also started organising the All England Open Badminton Championships in the late 19th century, opening up the doors for BWF’s foundation.
In 1934, nine nations came together to form the International Badminton Federation. The IBF had its headquarters situated in Cheltenham in the UK.
The founding members included seven European countries – Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, and Wales – with Canada and New Zealand being the other two nations. There was no representation from the Asian continent in the initial years.
A few years down the line, IBF started organising Thomas and Uber Cups and the World Championships among its members. The IBF started spreading its wings after 1950, with new members coming from Asia and Pacific regions.
But in the 1970s, things fizzled out between IBF and some of its members and non-members. There were some socio-political disputes that resulted in the formation of the World Badminton Federation (WBF).
China, which was not a member of the IBF, led the foundation of the WBF in 1978. A total of 22 nations from Asia and Africa became members of this rival organisation.
The WBF had a short stay before getting merged with the IBF in 1981, which led to the formation of what we now know as the Badminton World Federation.
The Role of BWF
As a global sports federation, the BWF has to carry out some duties. The main role is to promote and regulate badminton at the international level.
They collaborate with their member nations to develop the sport at the grassroots level. The BWF also has a long list of tournaments, which they organise throughout the year in different nations.
You can check out our dedicated piece on BWF’s role here to learn more about the organisation’s duties.
Badminton Tournaments Organised by BWF
As mentioned above, the BWF organises several premier badminton tournaments across different grades. Many shuttlers participate in tournaments like the BWF World Championships, Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, Sudirman Cup, BWF World Tour, and Junior Championships.
The governing body also organises badminton games in the Olympics and Paralympics in collaboration with the IOC and IPC.
The Members of BWF
As of November 2024, there are 201 member nations of the BWF. They are spread over five regional confederations.
Badminton Europe, the European confederation, has the most members (53), followed by Badminton Confederation of Africa (46), Badminton Asia (43), Badminton Pan America (34), and Badminton Oceania (14).
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