Sir Craig Reedie Awarded President’s Medal

Former IBF President and BWF Honorary Life Vice-President, Sir Craig Reedie, received the Badminton World Federation’s highest honour, the President’s Medal, for his “truly exceptional contribution” to badminton at a ceremony in Tokyo on Tuesday 27 July 2021.

The President’s Medal is a BWF award presented by the President to honour distinguished individuals or organisations who have made an exceptional contribution to badminton. This award recognises the remarkable influence that Sir Craig Reedie has had on badminton over the last 55 years.

Sir Reedie, from Stirling, Scotland said he was honoured to be a recipient of the President’s Medal.

“It’s a very special moment as I know the importance of the award to President Poul-Erik Høyer and the BWF Council,” Sir Reedie said.

Well known in the badminton community, Sir Reedie was the 12th President of the International Badminton Federation (IBF) from 1981-1984, now the BWF, and one of the catalysts behind pushing for badminton’s inclusion in the Olympic Games Programme.

The Scotsman said: “The sport has become one of the most progressive in the world and in the Olympic representation you now see a high standard in every session of play and from every country.”

Presenting the award was Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games men’s singles gold medallist and serving BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer of Denmark.

“It seems only fitting to award such an honour to Sir Craig Reedie after his vital role in bringing badminton to a global stage and the wider badminton community,” Høyer said.

“He has continued to champion the sport of badminton ever since and his achievements throughout his career are boundless,” he added.

Now in its 8th edition on the Olympic Programme, the landscape of badminton has come on in leaps and bounds since its inauguration at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, bringing with it new stars to shine from all over the world.

When asked to assess his most significant contribution to the sport, Sir Reedie revealed: “It is for others to say, but getting the sport into the Olympic Programme ranks very highly.

“Olympic inclusion is important but the outstanding top events run by the BWF, their successful commercial programme and the big development programmes, plus its progress with the Paralympic Movement, have also brought real growth to the sport.”

The bestowed honour of the President’s Medal has been awarded to a handful of recipients including His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand in 2012, Minoru Yoneyama, the founder of Yonex, and most recently, HRH The Earl of Wessex in 2015.

Sir Reedie’s list of achievements include being President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (2013 to 2019); an IOC Member since 1994; Member of the IOC Executive Board (2009-2012); IOC Vice-President (2012-2016); and in Tokyo in July, he became an IOC Honorary Member. Sir Craig was also appointed a CBE in 1999 and knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005, and was awarded the highest honour of the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 2018