IBF became BWF(Badminton World Federation)

2006 has proven to be a year of monumental change in badminton. Once everyone we settled into the new headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, it was time to focus on concrete improvements within the sport that could be made to propel badminton to the #1 Racket Sport in the world by 2013.

In mid-September, final partnership agreements were made with Sports Media Promotions and it was announced that badminton will launch its first Super Series in 2007. The Super Series will feature 12 tournaments with a minimum of USD $200,000 prize money each, running from January-December each year, taking place in England, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Switzerland. There will also be a season-ending BWF Super Series Finals for the best eight men’s and women’s singles and doubles.

At the end of the month, an Extraordinary General Meeting was held in Madrid, Spain where it was agreed by unanimous vote to change the name of IBF to Badminton World Federation (BWF). As the goal is for badminton to be the leader in rackets sports around the world, the name of badminton’s organization should be lead by the sport it represents.

This same meeting saw the adoption of a new Constitution, one that allows BWF to more securely continue it commitment to refining and enhancing the sport, to create a genuine global entertainment brand.

Lastly, Badminton World Federation and Badminton Players Federation became even more united in what will hopefully become the first players organization to become incorporated with their respective sports federation, being a first within the IOC format.