BWF 1934 – 2024
On 5 July 1934, the representatives from the Badminton Associations of Canada, Denmark, England, France, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales gathered at Bush House in London to establish a new organisation – the International Badminton Federation.
The “Badminton Association” (now the Badminton Association of England) had invited the representatives as there was a need to have a world governing body for the sport that would govern the sport at an international level, sanction international tournaments, be responsible for the Laws of Badminton and ensure the consistent application of the Laws internationally.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the BWF, and from 9 to 201 Members, there has been an extraordinary journey for BWF and badminton.
In Chengdu at the AGM in late April, the BWF President, Poul-Erik Høyer acknowledged and said that “the BWF had made extraordinary contributions to the development of the sport over the last 90 years. It was a very different era back in the 1930’s and we looked very different. Today we have a diverse global membership of 201 and a sport that is played in every part of the world”.
Articles and More information
Click on the links to view more information about the early years of the BWF:
- IBF Minutes of the Meeting – 5 July 1934
- The First IBF Handbook – 1 September 1936
- IBF History – Part 1 – How it All Began
- IBF History – Part 2 – How Sir George Re-Wrote the Laws
- IBF History – Part 3 – The 17 Years Debate
- Timeline – Major Milestones – 1934 – 2004
- Timeline – Major Milestones – 2005 – 2024