To date, 104 Member Associations have received their first sums of money under the BWF Membership Grants Programme activated in 2021.
Around US$520,000 have been distributed so far, out of a long-term project investment pool planned for 2020-2024.
The programme provides opportunities for Member Associations to access tailored support, to assist them in developing badminton in their country.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and current restrictions on international travel and activities, BWF took the decision to adjust the programme to meet the current needs of Member Associations, particularly those impacted by the pandemic.
BWF recognises the continued challenges and significant impacts of the pandemic and implemented an extension of the Back-to-Badminton for the BWF Membership Grants Programme 2021.
Member Associations will have until 31 March 2022 to deliver and report all activities approved as part of the programme.
If circumstances allow, we will revert to the areas of development identified above for the Membership Grants Programme 2022, as originally planned, with a specific package of support, training and resources being offered to each eligible Member Association.
Please note that eligibility for the Membership Grants Programme 2022 will be based on Member Associations meeting all reporting obligations relating to the programme in 2021.
These are some highlights of the national activities delivered in 2021/2022:
Kiribati
Shuttle Time and AirBadminton were successfully delivered in the Pacific Islands by the amazing team of volunteers from the Kiribati Badminton Federation (September-December 2021). Three Shuttle Time Teacher courses were delivered, with 48 Teachers educated; one Shuttle Time Youth Leadership workshop saw 20 students/youths trained; 19 schools from five communities were engaged and 500 participants joined the Shuttle Time activities.
On top of that, five Airbadminton activations were delivered in five communities (Bangantebure, Betio, Bairiki, Nuka and Korobu) with an estimated 200 participants experiencing the outdoor game.
Somalia
Twenty journalists – 16 male and 4 women – from different media houses which included, radio, television, print and social media were invited to the one-day Media Workshop organised by Somali Badminton Federation (SBF). The objective of the course was to educate local reporters about badminton, its structures and tournament organisation and provide them with other relevant information that would help in marketing the sport locally. Other than that, SBF also organised a national junior competition and strategic planning workshop in January 2022.
Norway
Norwegian Badminton Association delivered its Strategic and Operational Planning Seminar in Oslo last September. A two-day seminar was delivered to 32 participants and a strategic plan was developed with the aim of bringing badminton back on track after the pandemic. Brainstorm sessions were delivered and brought local clubs into the initiatives.
Wales
Badminton Wales organised the Talent ID sessions aimed at players aged 9-12 in north and south Wales. A total of 76 new players participated, with 40 per cent of them female. Coaches will be using the Talent ID specification they have developed to continue to support these players (and their coaches). This has become an integral part of Badminton Wales’ development-to-performance pathway from January–December 2021.
In addition, Badminton Wales worked closely with Disability Sport Wales over the pandemic in the hope of further developing Para badminton through coaching sessions. Jack Wilson, National Para badminton athlete of Wales, completed his BWF Coach Level 1 course and assisted in delivering regular coaching sessions in the community in September 2021. Through this initiative, 25 new athletes were identified to join the Para badminton development programme.
Martinique
Ligue de Badminton de Martinique delivered a two-day junior/senior competition in July 2021 with more than 60 players competing.
