TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Today, July 5, for the first time in its history, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) celebrates world badminton day. July 5 was chosen because in 1934, 88 years ago, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) was founded on this date. IBF is the forerunner of BWF.
“Day Badminton The world presents us with a unique opportunity to simultaneously celebrate and promote the sport we love,” BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer said as quoted by Tempo.co from development.bwfbadminton.comTuesday, July 5, 2022.
The origin of world badminton day
Launched from Britannica, the IBF was founded in London by a group of countries, namely Canada, Denmark, England, France, Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Then India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The purpose of establishing the IBF was because of the need for consistent rules and regulations governing badminton.
Initially, most continents had badminton governing bodies that developed their own rules and regulations. At that time, badminton was seen as a recreational activity for the wealthy rather than a sport. However, as the game became more popular, national federations began to emerge.
The British Badminton Association then proposed to other associations to create a world body. Thus, the International Badminton Federation was founded on Thursday, July 5, 1934 at 10:30 a.m. Apart from the IBF, there is also the World Badminton Federation (WBF) which was founded in February 1978. The WBF was formed as a result of the dissatisfaction of several badminton countries with the IBF.
The formation of the WBF was initiated by China and followed by several other countries. China rejects the IBF’s policy of including Taiwan as a country, as well as the existence of South Africa as a member. A number of countries rejected South Africa’s membership due to the country’s apartheid policy.
But eventually, in 1981, the IBF merged with the WBF. WBF then ceased operations on May 26, 1981 after being affiliated with the IBF. At the Extraordinary General Assembly in Madrid on September 24, 2006, the name of the organization was changed to BWF, as reported by BadmintonAsia.org. The BWF itself has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as the world governing body for badminton. The BWF now has 198 member countries.
The first BWF World Championships were held in 1977. A number of regional, national and zonal badminton tournaments have also been held in several countries under the auspices of the BWF. The most famous is the All-England Championship. Besides, there are other international tournaments such as Thomas Cup for men’s team competition since 1939 and Uber Cup for women’s team competition since 1956.
Badminton first appeared in the Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1972 and as an exhibition sport in 1988. Then badminton was first listed as a sport in the Olympics in 1992. But at that time, it was still a male and female competition. single and double. While you mix was only introduced at the 1996 Olympics.
Badminton was first played around 1837 in the rural Dukes of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, England. The roots of this sport go back to the history of ancient Greece, China and India. The origin of badminton is closely linked to the children’s games Battledore and Shuttlecock. The game was introduced by the British army stationed in India in the 1860s.
More than half a century later, in the 1930s, IBF was founded on July 5, 1934. Today, this historic day is designated as World Badminton Day, first celebrated in 2022. Not only this year, the WBF plans to continue celebrating World Badminton Day every year.
HENDRIK KHOIRUL MUHID
Read: 2022 badminton calendar: Indonesia to host 5 international championships
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