The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced the addition of four new World Tour stops for the 2023 until 2026 cycle, with investment from the governing body and the Infront agency funding the circuit’s expansion.
The BWF World Tour’s revamped 31-event calendar will see the introduction of new Super 500 tournaments in Australia, Canada, Finland and Japan. The series’ other 500-level competitions will take place in Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.
As part of the World Tour’s expansion plans, the Malaysia Open will become one of the tour’s Super 1000 tournaments, joining the All England Open, China Open, and Indonesia Open.
Meanwhile, the India Open and Singapore Open have both been promoted to 750 status, with existing events in China, Denmark, France, and Japan remaining at the Super 750 tier. Elsewhere, the HYLO Open and Orléans Masters competitions have been elevated to Super 300 level.
“Badminton is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with all-time high participation and fan numbers,” said BWF secretary general Thomas Lund.
“More tournaments give us a fantastic opportunity to enhance the sport’s reach around the world, not only in established territories, but into new ones as well. It also allows for more players to enter our elite circuit and gain valuable experience.
“We were very encouraged by the large number of high-quality bids we received and that bodes well for a bigger and better tour across the next four years. It enables us to commit to higher prize money, greater coverage on television and online, and spectacular presentation, all contributing to an enhanced world-class sports product that we seek.”
