The History Of BWF's Founding And Its Purpose

Badminton Illustration (Photo: Pixabay)

YOGYAKARTA – We have the Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) as an organization that oversees and regulates badminton in the country. Meanwhile, at the international level there is an organization called the Badminton World Federation (BWF). It is the parent organization of international badminton. What is the history of the founding of BWF like?

Before we discuss this, we need to know the task of the BWF, which is to create and formulate all matters regarding badminton which then becomes a guideline and reference for members of the badminton sport organization. BWF has played an important role in the development of badminton, which is currently a global sport.

History of the Founding of BWF

BWF was founded on 5 July 1934 in London, quoted from the official BWF website. The name that was first used for the world badminton organization was the International Badminton Federation (IBF). This organization was initiated by 9 countries, namely Denmark, England, Canada, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, New Zealand, and Wales.

The IBF had problems with several member countries which were triggered by socio-political conflicts in the 1970s. As a result of this, in 1978 a new organization was formed to oversee the world badminton sport. This organization was named the Badminton World Federation (BWF). BWF was founded by 22 countries, the majority of whom came from the continents of Asia and Africa, in contrast to the previous badminton organizations whose founders were mostly countries from the European continent.

Then the IBF and BWF united in 1981 and officially used the name Badminton World Federation (BWF). This was determined at the BWF Extraordinary Meeting on 24 September 2006 which was held in Madrid, Spain. The determination of BWF as the new name was carried out through voting and with the consideration that the abbreviation IBF was often misinterpreted with another organization, namely the International Boxing Federation.

This name change is expected to bring good changes to the world of badminton. According to the BWF's official website, the organization currently has 196 members. This is one proof of the rapid growth of badminton in the world.

Purpose of BWF

BWF is the parent organization of international badminton. The goal of BWF is to regulate, promote, develop and popularize the sport of badminton all over the world. In addition, BWF also aims to organize international events at the highest level.

The sport of badminton was first competed in the Olympics at the 25th Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992. Since then BWF has started to carry out its big mission, which is to introduce badminton to the world.

BFW not only regulates and sets the rules in the badminton game. This organization also has the task of selecting players who will appear in the world Olympics. In addition, BWF has regular world-level tournaments, including the Thomas Cup (badminton tournament specifically for male players), Uber Cup (badminton tournament specifically for female players), Sudirman Cup with mixed teams, and the BWF World Championship.

The organization also organizes tournaments for various levels, such as the BWF World Tour Super 100, Super 300, Super 500, Super 750, Super 1000, and World Tour Finals as a step for BWF to support new talent.

There are interesting and proud things that happened some time ago. The women's doubles badminton player from Indonesia, Greysia Polii, was trusted to be the Chair of the BWF Athlete Commission. This was announced by the BWF through its official website on Thursday, 17 February 2022. Greysia Polii is the Chair of the BWF Athlete Commission for the 2022-2025 period. He admitted that he wanted to bring enthusiasm, energy, and new experience to the position he held.