Bangkok, Thailand, May 8, 2022: The Badminton World Federation conducted its 83rd BWF Annual General Meeting on the evening of Saturday, May 7, 2022.
It was an historic first hybrid AGM with 132 Member Associations attending either in person in Bangkok or tuning in virtually.
The Membership voted on several proposals with the BWF aiming to maintain its high governance standards.
BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer congratulated the community for their overwhelming commitment to badminton over the past few years.
“The decisions taken at the AGM and discussions during the 10th Members’ Forum show that the badminton community is very much engaged in the best interests of the sport. It shows we have not given up or given in to the challenges posed by COVID-19,” Høyer said.
“Over the past 18 months we have gone a long way to reaching our objective of optimizing exposure for the sport and preserving the livelihoods of the playing community and other industry participants coming out of the pandemic.”
BWF also presented its Audited Financial Statements highlighting a budget surplus of US$19.71 million against a budgeted deficit of US$8.97 million for 2021.
The Membership also successfully voted on a Council proposal to confirm Torsten Berg from Denmark and Dato’ Wira Lim Teong Kiat of Malaysia as new BWF Honorary Life Vice Presidents.
President Høyer acknowledged the pair’s significant contributions over many years. “Both Torsten and Dato’ Lim have served BWF and the badminton community with great passion and have been instrumental in overseeing the substantial growth of the sport. I thank them for their tremendous service and am delighted we have been able to recognize them with distinction here this weekend in Bangkok.”
*The next BWF AGM will take place in Suzhou, China in May 2023 in conjunction with the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023.
*BWF also announced the four winners of the inaugural Member Association Awards among the 198 member associations: Benin (grants programme), Saudi Arabia (participation), United Arab Emirates (inclusion) and Australia (promotion). BWF said:
*Saudi Badminton Federation’s strategic approach to developing participation opportunities and pathways led to the substantial investment of US$9.5 million in badminton nationally. Through the Shuttle Time programme, more than 76 sports clubs included badminton in their programmes, resulting in over 1,000 players participating at the Saudi National Championships in 2021.
*The UAE Badminton Federation’s long-standing collaboration with Special Olympics UAE has provided opportunities for people of determination in the UAE to experience positive sporting social experiences through badminton. This has seen the sport flourish in the region with the partnership expanding even further in 2021.
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