Pictured: BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer and BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) conducted its 83rd BWF Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday evening 7 May 2022. It was a historic first hybrid AGM with 132 Member Associations attending either in person in Bangkok, Thailand or tuning in virtually.
The Membership voted on several proposals with the BWF aiming to maintain its high governance standards. BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer congratulated the community for their overwhelming commitment to badminton over the past few years.
“The decisions taken at the AGM and discussions during the 10th Members’ Forum show that the badminton community is very much engaged in the best interests of the sport. It shows we have not given up or given in to the challenges posed by COVID-19,” Høyer said.
“Over the past 18 months we have gone a long way to reaching our objective of optimising exposure for the sport and preserving the livelihoods of the playing community and other industry participants coming out of the pandemic.
“I would like to thank everyone in the badminton community for their significant contributions during this period and for their attendance, attention, and participation at our first hybrid AGM last evening.”
BWF also presented its Audited Financial Statements highlighting a budget surplus of US$19.71 against a budgeted deficit of US$8.97 million for 2021. BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund said that despite a challenging year, there were some major successes that impacted on the year-end financial result.
“I am pleased to report that BWF is back to a more stable financial situation compared to where we were 12 months ago. Strong revenue generation through major tournaments against conservative budgeting meant we have been able to recoup our financial position,” Lund said.
“The BWF Council continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation to ensure prudent financial planning moving forward and to explore opportunities to invest in the future development of the game.”
During the AGM, the Membership also successfully voted on a Council proposal to confirm Torsten Berg from Denmark and Dato’ Wira Lim Teong Kiat of Malaysia as new BWF Honorary Life Vice Presidents.
President Høyer acknowledged the pair’s significant contributions over many years.
“Both Torsten and Dato’ Lim have served BWF and the badminton community with great passion and have been instrumental in overseeing the substantial growth of the sport. I thank them for their tremendous service and am delighted we have been able to recognise them with distinction here this weekend in Bangkok.”
The next BWF AGM will take place in Suzhou, China in May 2023 in conjunction with the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2023.
