Sharjah To Host Inaugural BWF AirBadminton World Cup In December

Australia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, China, UAE, Egypt, and Venezuela are set to compete in the inaugural edition of the BWF AirBadminton World Cup. The event will take place between December 11th and 14th in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with twelve national teams vying for the top honors. AirBadminton is specifically designed for outdoor play on surfaces like sand, grass, and hard courts. The participating teams had to go through a rigorous qualification process to earn their spots in the tournament. The matches in the triples format will be played in a best-of-five games format, with each game won by the first team to reach 9 points. In case of an 8-all tie, a team must lead by two points to win, and if it reaches 12-all, the next point decides the winner. Teams are allowed up to three substitutions per match. The team relay will consist of four matches: women’s doubles, men’s doubles, women’s triples, and men’s triples. Each match will be played to 15 points, and scores will accumulate in a relay format, with the first team to reach 60 points winning the tie. Players can participate in one or two matches per tie. The BWF stated that a maximum of 96 athletes will compete in the men’s triples, women’s triples, and team relay events. Wong Wing Ki Vincent, a former top 10 men’s singles player, will lead the Team Relay favorite, Hong Kong China. The tournament, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, aims to promote AirBadminton as an outdoor growth discipline with global reach potential. The BWF President, Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, emphasized the inclusivity and expansion of badminton beyond traditional powerhouses through the launch of the first-ever world circuit. The vision is to merge high-level competition with a festive atmosphere and entertainment to engage new audiences and grow the global badminton community.