Announcement
Voting Strength 2024-2028
Every four years, BWF uses criteria in Clause 15.20 of the BWF Constitution (linked here) to calculate the “Voting Strength” of each Member.
BWF Members can have 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 votes depending on how they meet the criteria (see below). The Voting Strength is fixed for a four-year period from 1 October 2024 – 30 September 2028.
The Voting Strength (2024 – 2028) for each Member which has been confirmed by Council (linked here).
Assessment Period / Criteria
There is a four year Assessment Period to calculate the Voting Strength – which is then fixed for four years.
Clause 7.2 of the BWF Constitution states:
Assessment Period – means a four (4) year period of time over which the criteria in Clause 15.20 are applied to determine voting strength, and extends from 1 October in the year of the Summer Olympic Games to the 30 September of the year of the subsequent Summer Olympic Games.
The four-year Assessment Period finished on 30 September 2024. The number of votes each Member has over the Assessment Period, is fixed for a four-year period.
Criteria to Assess Voting Strength
Clause 15.20 of the BWF Constitution states:
A Member in Good Standing shall be entitled to a minimum of one (1) vote and a maximum of five (5) votes as confirmed by Council in accordance with the following criteria applied over the Assessment Period.
Clause 15.20.1 – The number of votes a Member is entitled to, is fixed for a four (4) year period starting after the end of the Assessment Period.
The criteria above is used to calculate the Voting Strength over the 4 year Assessment Period.
COVID-19 and Impact on the Calculation of Voting Strength
In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 affected the whole world – travel was restricted, tournaments were postponed and may were cancelled (147 in 2020 and 97 tournaments in 2021), and governments closed borders completely, sometimes for long periods of time.
The two criteria most affected during the first 15 months of the Assessment Period are highlighted in blue above:
- Participation in international tournaments
Criteria – participate in 6 out of 10 eligible tournaments across the four-year period.
Two eligible tournaments did not take place during the period – two BWF World Junior Team Championships (2020 and 2021).
Members therefore had to participate in 6 out of 8 tournaments to qualify for one additional vote.
This was a significant disadvantage for Members who would normally participate.
- Hosting international tournaments
Criteria – host eligible tournaments (3 out of the 4 years of the Assessment Period).
Because of COVID-19, many Members had to postpone or cancel tournaments because of the uncertainty, fewer players were travelling, or borders were closed.
Council Interim Measures
The Council considered the impact of COVID-19 on the Voting Strength which is explained in the attached analysis (Annex B) and made some adjustments.
This analysis takes into account only 1) this global event (COVID-19) and 2) its impact on the 2 criteria above, and it made adjustments to the Voting Strength where justified.
The situations of 30 Members were considered and analysed. After the analysis, adjustments were made to the Voting Strength of these 12 Members (related to the criteria below):
See Council Interim Measures – (Voting Strength 2024 – 2028) for more details on the process. The interim measures will be on the agenda at the AGM 2025 for the membership to endorse the procedures.
Subscriptions 2025
The Voting Strength is connected to the amount of subscription each Member pays (see Clause 26.3 of the BWF Constitution).
Invoices for the 2025 subscription will be sent out on the basis of the Voting Strength spreadsheet attached which was confirmed by Council.
Interim Measures by Council
The interim measures taken by Council will be on the agenda for endorsement by the membership at the AGM 2025. The same process was followed for the adjustments made in the previous assessment cycle. The EGM in January 2021 endorsed the Council’s measures.
