BWF: India to host Badminton World Championships in 2026

Badminton’s global governing body, the BWF, announced on Tuesday that India would host the World Badminton Championships in 2026.

India planned to host the Sudirman Cup in 2023, but the Badminton World Federation decided to transfer the rights to host the World Mixed Team Championships to China.

The BWF was forced to move the Sudirman Cup this year from Suzhou, China, to Vantaa, Finland, due to the COVID-19 situation in the Asian country.

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A moment of pride for Indian badminton as India has been allotted the rights to host 2026 BWF World Championships after 17 years

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“Suzhou will now host the BWF World Mixed Team Championships in 2023. However, the original host, India in 2023, has accepted the opportunity to host the BWF World Championships in 2026,” the BWF said in a media conference.

“The Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm that Suzhou, China has been awarded to host the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023.”

“Suzhou was supposed to host the championship in 2021, but since the BWF was unable to host any tournaments in China this year, the event was moved to Vantaa in Finland.”

“Hosting a world championship level tournament is a great achievement for us at the Badminton Association of India as well as for the country,” said Badminton Association of India (BAI) President Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“We are grateful to the BWF for considering India for the most prestigious and premier badminton tournament, and I believe that the arrival of world-class shuttlers will be not only a great opportunity and motivation for game enthusiasts but also a significant growth in the sport across the country too.”

Tokyo Olympic-bound PV Sindhu is the reigning women’s singles world champion. Sindhu also has won two silver and two bronze medals at the World Championships.

Two years ago, B Sai Praneeth ended a 36-year wait for the men’s singles World Championship medal in Basel, Switzerland.

Saina Nehwal had clinched the silver and bronze in the 2015 and 2017 seasons, while the women’s doubles duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta had won a bronze in London in 2011.