The BWF World Championships is the pinnacle of badminton. Many top-ranked shuttlers participate in this closely competitive individual event, which tests them to the core.
The tournament is equivalent to the Summer Olympics, helping badminton players become world champions and gain the maximum ranking points.
So what is the BWF World Championships all about? When did it start? And how does the competition work?
This article will glance at the BWF World Championships, along with its history, format, and winners.
BWF World Championships: An Overview
It’s the top-tier Grade 1 tournament organised by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), taking place every year. Although it doesn’t take place in the Summer Olympics year, the games played in the grand event are considered almost level with the World Championships.
About 400 players compete in their preferred discipline, with the tournament hosting men’s and women’s singles, men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles events. The winner from each discipline emerges as the world champion and takes home the gold medal and most ranking points, though there is no prize money on offer.
When did the BWF World Championships start?
Before the inception of the World Championships, the All England Open was the esteemed badminton tournament. The competition started in 1899, making it the oldest in the sport, with many considering it the unofficial World Championships.
Four decades later, the BWF started team events in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup. But there was still nothing tangible in the individual category apart from the open tournaments.
So the governing body saw an opportunity and launched the World Championships in 1977. Sweden staged the inaugural event, with shuttlers from seven nations participating in it. Denmark’s players bagged five medals, including three golds, to kick off the global event in style.
The first three World Championships took place every three years before it became a biennial event between 1985 and 2005. But from 2006 onwards, the tournament has been taking place every year except in the Olympics year.
How do players enter the BWF World Championships?
The BWF has put in place qualification criteria, with a maximum of 400 players participating in the World Championships across five disciplines. Of the 400, 64 feature in men’s singles, 48 in women’s singles, and 96 (48 pairs) each in the three doubles categories.
But how do the players qualify for the event?
So the BWF allows its member associations to nominate certain players in each category according to the shuttler’s ranks. Players ranked one to 150 can feature in the tournament, though there is a limit on the total players making it from a block of rankings.
National associations can send a maximum of four players who rank between one and eight, three players between nine and 24, and two players between 25 and 150. This rule applies to all disciplines.
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How does the format of the BWF World Championships work?
Also known as the Worlds, the tournament starts off with three preliminary rounds. Players and pairs are spread across four sections.
Shuttlers play on a knockout basis, trying to move from the preliminary rounds to the quarter-finals of their section. The winners of the four quarter-finals make it to the semis, concluding the tournament with the final.
The winner of the final gets a glittering gold medal, 13,000 ranking points, and, of course, the tag of the world champion.
Who are the most successful players in the BWF World Championships?
China’s Lin Dan and Zhao Yunlei and South Korea’s Park Joo-bong are the most successful players in the BWF World Championships. Dan has won five gold medals in the singles category, while Yunlei (women’s and mixed doubles) and Joo-bong (men’s and mixed doubles) won as many across the doubles category.
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