The History of Badminton at the Olympic Games.

1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Demonstration Sport.

It was only in the mid-1960s that efforts were made to include badminton in the Olympic programme.
Badminton history was made at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games when for the first time it was included as a Demonstration Sport. The demonstration event was held on 4 September on two courts in a volleyball hall, over 3000 spectators enjoyed the action on the single day it was played. The demonstration took the form of an Invitation Tournament organized by the German Badminton Association under the auspices of the International Badminton Federation. (IBF) (now BWF).

Twenty-five players from eleven nations took part and both singles and men’s and mixed doubles were held. Owing to the lack of available time no women’s doubles were included. Interestingly, several entries in the double’s events were mixed teams of players from different nations a practice not allowed in official medal events at the Olympic Games since 1904.

In the men’s singles, Rudy Hartono (Indonesia) again showed his pre-eminence and decisively defeated Svend Pri (Denmark) in the final, but only after having been extended fully by Jamie Paulson of Canada, in the first two games of the first round.

Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks (Great Britain) show their superiority in the mixed doubles event, winning without losing a game although fully extended in the last game of the final by Svend Pri and Ulla Strand (Denmark). Both played extremely well and Gillian’s interceptions at the net were outstanding.

The tournament was an undoubted success and the play was much appreciated by the enthusiastic crowd. Winners and runners-ups received gold and silver medals presented by the International Badminton Federation. It was said at the time that the German Badminton Association which staged the demonstration, should be congratulated on its success and on the hard work put in by its officials.

Final Results.

Men’s Singles: – Rudy Hartono (INA)  bt.  Svend Pre (DEN) 15-6, 15-1.

Women’s Singles: – Noriko Nakayama (JPN)  bt.  Utami Dewi (INA) 11-5, 11-3.

Men’s Doubles: – Ade Chandra and Christian Hadinata (INA)  bt.  Ng Boon Bee and Punch Gunalan (MAS) 15-4, 15-2.

Mixed Doubles: – Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks (GBR) bt.  Svend Pri and Ulla Strand (DEN) 15-6, 18-16.

At last, badminton had appeared in connection with the Olympic Games, they were hoping that it may be selected as part of the Olympic Games proper in Canada in 1976.

The Great Britain players were Gillian Gilks, Derek Talbot & Elliot Stuart all from England.

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Progress Stalled.

In 1978 progress stalled as a sensitive political issue rose to the forefront. A parallel body called World Badminton Federation (WBF) was formed on 24 February 1978; 13 Asian and 6 African associations became part of the breakaway group. The split of the IBF derailed its ambitions for badminton in the Olympics.

Efforts at rapprochement were made from both sides. On 26 May 1981 a ‘Deed of Unification’ was signed in Tokyo by the IBF and WBF.

The unification of the world body reignited its Olympic hopes. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch attended the IBF World Championships in 1983, the event produced some exhilarating displays of badminton and so impressed Samaranch that he was convinced badminton had a place in the Olympic programme.

Juan Antonio Samaranch

Finally, Badminton would become an Olympic Sport.

Mainly through the efforts of Stellan Mohlin and Craig Reedie who had been International Badminton Federation (now BWF) Presidents, badminton was finally accepted into the Olympic Games at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in East Berlin in 1985. It would have been perfect for badminton to take part in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, but the Olympic Charter says that there should be a period of seven years for the introduction of a new sport. The Badminton World had to wait until Barcelona in 1992 for the game to become an Olympic medal sport.

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Poul-Erik Nielsen President of the IBF receiving the Olympic flag from James Worrall, senior Canadian IOC member at the 4th World Badminton Championships, Calgary, Canada, in 1985.

Photo: – Louis Ross.

Click on the images to enlarge.

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​1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Exhibition Sport.

Sixteen years after Munich at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, badminton reappeared, but this time as an Exhibition Sport; this caused problems as the I.O.C. only recognizes Demonstration sports, not Exhibitions, but the Korean Badminton Association presented the event after the Korean Organizing Committee had invited badminton to attend. The other problem was as it was not a Demonstration sport the players were not allowed to stay in the Olympic Village or march at the opening ceremony with their national teams. All the badminton players stayed in six apartments in Seoul, which provided all the facilities of a good hotel. The Seoul National University Gymnasium was used as the venue, and almost a full house of 5,000 spectators watched 30 of the world’s best players display their talents. The Korean Badminton Association presented the event and made it look like an Olympic Sport.

The only Great Britain player invited to play was Darren Hall from England who took part in the men’s singles and lost in the Bronze medal match.

Final Results.

Men’s Singles: – Yang Yang (CHN)  bt.  Icuk Sugiato (INA) 15-4, 15-2.

Women’s Singles: – Hwang Hye-Young (KOR)  bt.  Han Aiping (CHN) 1-11, 11-8, 11-6.

Men’s Doubles: – Li Yongbo and Tian Bibgyi (CHN)  bt.  Lee Sang-Bok and Lee Kwang-Jin (KOR) 15-11,15-7.

Women’s Doubles: – Kim Yun-Ja and Chung So-Young (KOR)  bt.  Lin Ying and Guan Weizhen (CHN) 15-11, 14-17, 15-5.

Mixed Doubles: – Park Joo-Bong and Chung Myung-Hee (KOR)  bt.  Wang Pengren and Shi Fangjing (CHN) 15-3, 15-7.

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1992 Barcelona Olympics Games.

Debut as an Official Medal Sport.

Badminton had its debut as an official medal sport at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At 10 am on 28 July 1992 the long-cherished dream of millions of badminton fans finally materialized. Foo Kok Keong of Malaysia struck the first shuttlecock in the Olympic badminton history in the brand-new Pavella de la Mar Bella, Barcelona saw 178 players from 37 countries take part. Four events were held in the first competition of the sport: men’s & women’s singles, men’s & women’s doubles, no mixed doubles were played at this first medal badminton Olympics.  The tournament was run as a knockout competition and no playoffs were contested for semi-final losers, meaning that two bronze medals were awarded. The on-court action justified all the hard work that had gone into bringing badminton to the Olympics. An early-round woman’s doubles match – between Gill Clark/Julie Bradbury (England) and Rosiana Tendean/Erma Sulistianingsih (Indonesia) was so compelling that TV viewership reportedly was 150 million.

Susi Susanti Wins the First-ever Gold Medal for Badminton.

For Indonesia, these first Games for badminton provided two Olympic champions when Susi Susanti won the first-ever gold medal for badminton and two hours later, her fiancée Allan Budi Kusuma won the second Olympic gold medal for Indonesia in the men’s singles.

Photos: – Preben B. Soberg.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Allan Budi Kusuma (Indonesia).

Photos: – Preben B. Soberg.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Korea would win all the gold medals in the double’s events with Hwang Hye-Young and Chung So-Young winning the woman’s doubles and Park Joo-Bong and Kim Moon-Soo the men’s doubles. There was no mixed doubles event at this Olympics.

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Hwang Hye-Young and Chung So-Young (Korea).

Of the 16 medals awarded, Asia won 15, and Thomas Stuer- Lauridsen won a bronze in men’s singles for Denmark.

The television viewing figures were enormous, and the new sport had made its initial impact. Badminton associations worldwide joined their national Olympic committees, and money to develop the sport began to flow in.

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1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Mixed Doubles would be played for the first time in the Olympics and there would be a play-off for the bronze medal.

Mixed Doubles was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, making badminton one of the few sports where men and women share the field of play. As well as the four events were held in Barcelona, and an additional change to the tournament was the play-off game for the Bronze medal rather than awarding two bronzes. The tournament was held at the Georgia State University Gymnasium. Of the 15 medals awarded, 14 went to Asia again, and Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen from Denmark won the Gold medal in men’s singles. He was the first European male to win a gold medal at the games.

Bang Soo-Hyun (Korea).

Korea’s Bang Soo-Hyun, who won the silver medal at Barcelona, would win the gold medal in the final, playing against Indonesia’s 16-year-old Mia Audine.

Poul-Erik was the first European badminton men’s player to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games.

Ricky Subagia and Rexy Mainaky (Indonesia) won the men’s doubles gold medal in one of the closest fought matches on medal day against Malaysian’s Chea Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock.

The Chinese pair of Ge Fei and Gu Jun would win the woman’s doubles gold medal, they went to the Olympics with an almost unbeaten record as the top woman’s doubles pair, heading the Grand Prix points table, being Yonex All-England Champions and World Grand Prix final victories in 1994 and 1995. This would be the first gold medal for China in the Olympic Games.

Ge Fei and Gu Jun (China).

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2000 Sydney Olympics Games.

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The 2000 Olympics took place in Sydney in Australia from 15 September to 1 October and the badminton competition was held at Pavilion 3, Sydney Olympic Park. China won the majority of the badminton medals available at this Olympics, winning 4 of the 5 golds, 1 silver and 3 of the 5 bronzes. They had a clean sweep in the woman’s doubles event winning all the medals. Denmark’s Camilla Martin would be the first European woman to win a medal at an Olympic Games when she received the silver medal in the woman’s singles.

The final of the men’s singles saw China’s seventh seed, Ji Xinpeng, beat second seed Hendrawan (Indonesia).

In the women’s singles, Camilla Martin had to settle for silver after losing to the top seed, Gong Zhichao of China, in the final. Martin led 10-7 the first game, but lost 13-10, 11-3.

After beating the world and Yonex All-England Men’s Doubles champions Ha Tae Kwon and Kim Dong Moon from Korea, the Indonesians Gunawan and Wijaya would be favourites in the final. The final was another Indonesia v Korea, with Gunawan and Wijaya beating the second seeds, Lee Dong Soo and Yoo Yong Sung, 15-10, 9-15, 15-7 to win the gold medal.

Seeding went according to plan in the all-Chinese woman’s doubles final with world champions Ge Fei and Gu Jun, who had rarely been beaten since winning the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta in 1996, outplaying Huang Nanyan and Yan Wei 15-5, 15-11.

Great Britain Win Their First Olympic Medal.​

Simon Archer and Jo Goode (Great Britain).

Photos: – Preben B. Soberg.

Great Britain won their first Olympic medal, a Bronze in the Mixed Doubles, despite Archer suffering from a chest injury, which he unfortunately picked up in the quarter-finals. Simon Archer and Jo Goode beat Denmark’s Michael Sogard & Rikke Olsen in three sets in the Bronze match, but it could easily have been Silver if not Gold. In the Semi-Finals, Archer and Goode lost to Indonesian top seeds Tri Kusharyanto & Minarti Timur 2-15, 17-15, 15-11 after leading 10-1 in the second game.

China took four out of five gold medals on offer at the Sydney 2000 Games – the legendary Ge Fei and Gu Jun won their second consecutive Olympic gold in women’s doubles, Gong Zhichao won the women’s singles gold, Zhang Jun and Gao Ling took the mixed doubles title, but the biggest shock of all was in the men’s singles when eighth seed Ji Xinpeng won the title against the odds. China did not win the gold medal when Indonesians Tony Gunawan and Candra Wijaya won the men’s doubles.

Of the 15 medals, Asia won 13, Denmark 1 when Camilla Martin from Denmark won silver in the women’s singles and Great Britain 1 bronze in the mixed doubles.

The badminton event was a huge success from the near-perfect conditions for both players and officials, to the sell-out crowds for all but the first round of matches.

Gold medalist in the mixed doubles Zhang Jun and Gao Ling (China).

Photo: – Preben B. Soberg.

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2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Gold and Silver Medalists at Athens 2004.

Men’s Singles – Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia) bt. Shon Seung-mo (Korea) 15-8, 15-7.

Woman’s Singles – Zhang Ning (China) bt. Mia Audina (Netherlands) 8-11, 11-6, 11-7.

Men’s Doubles – Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon (Korea) bt. Lee Dong-soo and Yoo Yong-sung (Korea) 15-11, 15-4.

Woman’s Doubles – Zhang Jiewen and Yang Wei (China) bt. Huang Sui and Gao Ling (China) 7-15, 15-4, 15-8.

Mixed Doubles – Zhang Jun and Gao Ling (China) bt. Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms (Great Britain) 15-1, 12-15, 15-12.

Great Britain went one stage further than in 2000 with Nathan Robertson & Gail Emms winning the Silver Medal losing to Zhang Jun & Gao Ling (China) the 2000 winners 15-1, 12-15, 15-12. Tracey Hallam saved two match points in the third game to beat Camilla Martin (Denmark) the 2000 silver medalist to reach the quarter-finals but lost to the eventual Silver medal winner Mia Audina (now playing for Netherlands).

Paul Andjelkovic from England known throughout the badminton world as ‘Big Paul’ – was taking part in his third Olympics, helping ensure the smooth running of the badminton tournament. In recognition of his services to badminton, the International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now BWF) President Korn Thapparansi of Thailand presented him with the IBF Council’s Meritorious Service Award. The award is only presented for exceptional services to the sport, rather than just holding office or winning trophies. Paul went on to be involved with two more badminton Olympic events, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Photo: – Chris Miller.

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2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The badminton competition was held from 9 August to 24 August at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium. With 173 competitors from 50 nations.

Gold and Silver Medalists at Beijing 2008.

Men’s Singles – Lin Dan (China) bt. Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) 21-12, 21-8.

Women’s Singles – Zhang Ning (China) bt. Xie Xingfang (China) 21-12, 10-21, 21-18.  Zhang Ning became the first women’s singles gold medalist to retain her title.

Men’s Doubles – Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan (Indonesia) bt. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (China) 12-21, 21-11, 21-16.

Women’s Doubles – Du Jing and Yu Yang (China) bt. Lee Kyung-won and Lee Hyo-jung (Korea) 21-15, 21-13.

Mixed Doubles – Lee Yong-dae and Lee Hyo-jung (Korea) bt. Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir (Indonesia) 21-11, 21-17.

For Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms (Great Britain) the 2008 Beijing mixed doubles was tough for the defending silver medal winners from Athens due to Injuries denying them results and costing them seeding and Robertson last moment ankle operation followed by four months without match practice. They had to play the world number one pair in the first round which they won then they lost to the eventual gold medal winners from Korea in the second round.

All the other GB players had tough draws losing in the 2^nd round for the singles players and the other doubles pairs losing in the 1^st round. All 15 medals went to Asia with China winning 8.

Lan Lu (China)

Photo: – IOC – Richard Juilliart

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2012 London Olympics Games.

At the London 2012 Olympics badminton was held at the Wembley Arena which was originally used for swimming in the 1948 London Olympics, also it had been the home of the All-England Badminton Championships from 1957-1993.
172 athletes from 50 different countries would perform at one of the worlds iconic badminton venues, with every seat for every session sold months before the event, a fantastic atmosphere and excitement would be created at the Wembley Arena.

Badminton history was a part of the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony when a man and woman dressed in Victorian costumes were seen playing badminton. They represented Britain’s past history of inventing and developing sports games. A few days later, the wooden rackets they used in this ceremony were sold for hundreds of pounds on the London 2012 auction site.

London 2012 saw the introduction of group competition followed by knock-out. This resulted in more match play for competitors and a significant increase in television production hours. For the first time, the earlier rounds in all events would be played in groups and the winner of the groups in singles would go through to the knockout rounds and in the doubles, the winner and runner-up would go through to the knockout rounds. This caused problems in the final rounds of the group games in the Women’s Doubles as players knew who they would play if they won, so one Chinese pair, two Korean pairs and one Indonesian pair tried to lose in their matches with players hitting out of court and serving into the net. All four pairs were disqualified from the Tournament for unethical play and later they were given bans from the Badminton World Federation.
Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography. Click on the images to enlarge.

A Clean Sweep of Gold Medals for China.

The men’s singles final would be a repeat of 2008 Beijing: Lin Dan (China) versus Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia). It was truly a seesaw battle of 77 minutes, and Lin Dan became the first men’s singles gold medalist to retain his title.

In the third game of the all-Chinese woman’s singles final, third seed Li Xuerui proved too strong on the day turning the Chinese form book upside down, defeating her top-seeded teammate Wang Yihan to take the gold medal.

The Danes Mathias Boe and Cartsten Mogensen were the only Europeans to reach the finals. They had encountered the Chinese pair of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng eight times before and only twice had the Danes been victorious. Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng would win 21-16, 21-15 to become the first Chinese pair to win a men’s doubles gold.

The main upset in the women’s doubles competition came in the group stages due to the disqualification of four pairs for unethical play. The final would be between Qing Tian and Zhao Yunlei of China and the Japanese pairing Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa. The first set was an easy win for the Chinese pair. However, in the second game, Fujii and Kakiiwa piled on the pressure, saving three match points before the Chinese eventually lifted the gold medals 25-23.

The final of the mixed doubles would be another all-Chinese affair. China’s No.1 pair Zhanf Nan and Zhao Yunlei dominated the tournament as they ploughed through the group and quarter-final stages winning every match in two straight games. The final would not be any different when they duly wrapped up the title in 45 minutes beating Xu Chen and Ma Jin 21-11, 21-17. Zhao Yunlie would be the first badminton Olympian to win two gold medals at the same Games.

Players from China won all of the gold medals. The Chinese team also collected two silvers and one bronze. Asia won 12 medals, with China winning 8, Denmark 2, Malaysia 1, Japan 1, Korea 1, India 1, and Russia 1.

Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography.                                                          Click on the images to enlarge.

Lin Dan (China) Men’s singles gold medalist.

Li Xuerul (China) Woman’s singles gold medalist.

Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng (China) Men’s doubles gold medalist.

Tian Qing and Zhae Yunlei (China) Woman’s doubles gold medalist.

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) Men’s singles silver medalist.

Some of the hundreds of “Games Makers” at the badminton event.

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2016 Rio Olympics Games.

Carolina Marin (Spain) women’s singles gold medalist.

Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography.
Click on the images to enlarge.

With the problems that had arisen at the London 2012 badminton event, where players were trying to lose games in the group play-offs, it was decided that at Rio 2016, there would be draws after the group stage matches to prevent players from anticipating their opponents in the knockout stages.

The First European Woman to Win a Gold Medal.

History was made with Carolina Marin from Spain being the first European woman to win a gold medal when she won the gold in the women’s singles also Spain’s first Olympic badminton medal.  Japan also won their first Olympic badminton gold medal in the women’s doubles.

Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), playing in his third consecutive Olympic men’s singles final, received his third silver medal.

Photo: – IOC – Ian Jones.                                                     Click on the images to enlarge

Great Britain Wins its First Men’s Doubles Medal.

In the men’s doubles, Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge (Great Britain) arrived in Rio ranked 22nd in the world before embarking on a giant-killing crusade, toppling the third, fifth, and eighth-ranked pairs on their way to medal history. In the semi-finals, they lost to the eventual gold medal winners, China’s Fu Haifeng and Zhang Nan.

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In the bronze play-off match against Chai Biao and Hong Wei (China), Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge won a tense first game 21-18 with the Chinese pair snatching the second game 19-21. The British pair won the final game 21-10, but only after a review into the last point after a Langridge serve, and it was called out, which cranked up the tension with the pair suspecting they were seconds away from the bronze medal, the call was overruled by Hawkeye. They are the first British players to win a men’s doubles medal in an Olympic Games.

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2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

In 1964, Tokyo was the host of the summer Olympic Games which had 163 events.

The games were scheduled for 2020 but owing to the Covid 19 crisis they were moved to 2021.

Photos: – Badminton Photo.                                                                                                                       Click on images to enlarge.

Mixed Doubles Results

Viktor Axelsen (DEN)

Chen Yu Fei (CHN) and Tai Tzu-Ying (TPE)

Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (TPE)

Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping (CHN)

Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping (CHN)

Photos: – Badminton Photo.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Para-Badminton at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Para-badminton made its Debut at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

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2024 Paris Olympics Games

Badminton Schedule

27 July 2024 to 5 August 2024

At Paris 2024, 171 athletes from 49 nations competed in the badminton competition. The events of men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles were  contested across 10 days of competition with five gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded.

The Porte de la Chapelle Arena, an eco-design venue thought out for a legacy to benefit neighbouring communities well beyond the Games, is a new cultural hub to the north of Paris hosting a range of cultural and sporting events each day, including the home games of Paris Basketball. This new facility is designed to be open to all (especially people living nearby) and to offer a variety of sports activities in its complementary spaces. With its mid-size capacity of 8,000 seats, the Porte de la Chapelle Arena will further strengthen the choice of sport and live performance venues available throughout Paris.

La Chapelle Arena’s design is distinctly eco-friendly. 80 per cent of the building’s surface is covered with greenery, blending gracefully into the parks and gardens that surround the site. The front is clad with recyclable aluminium and most of the building materials are bio-based (principally wood). The arena’s design is also universal: the main hall, the facilities around it and the terrace over the entire complex will be accessible to everyone.

Legacy

Paris has needed a mid-size venue for a long time. This new 8,000-seat arena fulfills that need, hosting major sports events in northern Paris and providing Paris Basketball, its resident club, with a home base befitting its bold aspirations.

The surrounding neighbourhood also needs more sports facilities, and the two gyms adjoining the arena will provide them. Residents are now able to enjoy a wide array of cultural events at the arena, including live performances and conventions. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Porte de la Chapelle Arena will host top-level sports tournaments, live performances and other events in its main hall, and its gyms and other facilities will be open every day for people living in the area.

Viktor Axelsen from Denmark, who won the men’s singles gold medal in Tokyo, and Lee the Yang and Wang Chi-Lin from Chinese Taipei, who won gold medals in the men’s doubles in Tokyo, all won second gold medals at the 2024 Paris  Olympics.

MD – Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin (Chinese Taipei).

Photos: – Badminton Photo.

Click on images to enlarge.

MS – Silver-Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand), Gold-Viktor Axelsen (Denmark), Bronze-Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia).

MD – Silver-Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang (China), Gold-Lee Yang & Wang Chi-Lin (Chinese Taipei), Bronze-Aaron Chia & Soh Wooi Yik (Malaysia).

XD – Silver-Kim Won Ho & Jeong Na Eun (Korea), Gold-Zheng Si Wei & Huang Ya Qiong (China), Bronze-Yuta Watanabe & Arisa Higashino (Japan).

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Olympic Badminton Results – 1992 to 2024

Click on images to enlarge

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Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

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Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

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There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

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National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

https://badmintonmuseum.org/donations/

​ The Badminton Museum is a small charity administered by volunteers. Help preserve the history of badminton by making a donation or becoming a ‘Friend of the Museum’. Any donations to the Badminton Museum will help us to expand the collection of memorabilia, books, and documents to make these items readily available to all.

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

2024 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships. 

             125th Anniversary Championships.  

With a Royal Visit.

The only European player to make the finals was Carolina Marin from Spain. Carolina had previously won the Yonex All-England woman’s singles title nine years previous; in the final, she would have to play 4th seed Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, Akane the night before had an 82-minute exhausting semi-final against the 1st seed An Se Young from Korea. In the first game of the final Yamaguchi had three game points at 20-17, and then two more before losing to Marin 26-24. The efforts from the previous night’s semi-final match saw Yamaguchi having to retire at 1-11 with a hip injury, giving Marin her 2nd Yonex All-England woman’s singles title.

In the men’s singles, two Indonesians reach the final guaranteeing Indonesia a Yonex All-England champion for the first time in 30 years. Ironically back in 1994, it was also two Indonesians who had reached the final with Heryanto Arbi coming out on top. Close friends Jonatan Christie and Anthony Sinisuka Ginting had reached a Yonex All-England final for the first time. Christie, who had entered the final ranked four places below his opponent, withstood fightbacks in both games before taking the title 21-15,21-14.

Click on images to enlarge

FINAL RESULTS.

MEN’S SINGLES.

Jonatan CHRISTIE (Indonesia) bt. Anthony Sinisuka GINTING (Indonesia) 21-15, 21-14.

WOMEN’S SINGLES.

Carolina MARIN (Spain) bt. Akane YAMAGUCHI (Japan) 26-24,11-1 Ret.

MEN’S DOUBLES.

Fajar ALFIAN & Muhammad Rian ARDIANTO  (Indonesia)  bt.  Aaron CHIA & SON Wool Yik (Malaysia)            21-16,21-15.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES.

BAEK Ha Na & LEE So Hee (Korea) bt. Nami MATSUYAMA & Chiharu SHIDA (Japan) 21-19,11-21,21-17.

MIXED DOUBLES.

ZHENG Si Wei & HUANG Ya Qiong (China) bt. Yuta WATANABE & Arisa HIGASHINO (Japan) 21-16,21-11.

Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto would retain their Yonex All-England men’s doubles title in a 21-16,21-15 victory over Malaysian Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

Last year’s runners-up in the woman’s doubles, Korean Baek Ha Na and Lee So Hee would finally win a Yonex All-England title when they defeated the 2022 champions from Japan Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida in the most exciting final of the day 21-19,11-21,21-17.

The mixed doubles would be the only event that the first and second seeds reached the final. The Chinese first seeds, Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong would retain their Yonex All-England title with a 21-16, 21-11 win over the Japanese pair of Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino.

Women’s Singles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

Women’s Doubles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

Geoff Hinder and Jim Mann from the Badminton Museum showing the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh the history of the All-England Badminton Championships.

Click on the images to enlarge

For more information on the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here 

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

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Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

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National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

1999 Centenary Yonex All-England Championships 

This year’s Yonex All-England is the 125th Anniversary Championships 1899 – 2024, we look back at the Centenary Championships in 1999. With Peter Gade from Denmark being the hospitality guest speaker at the 2024 Yonex All-England, we selected a piece of film from the Badminton Museum film library of Peter winning the men’s singles at the 1999 Centenary Yonex All-England Championships. In the final Peter had a 3-set match against Taufik Hidayat from Indonesia eventually winning 15-11, 7-15, 15-10. Peter Gade’s victory at the 1999 Centenary Yonex All-England Championships was the only time he lifted the famous Arthur Barron men’s singles trophy, although he did reach the final once more in 2004 but lost to the young Lin Dan from China winning his first of his six Yonex All-England titles.

Click on images to enlarge

1899 – 2024

125th Anniversary Championships

2024 YONEX ALL-ENGLAND BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIPS

For more information on the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here. 

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

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2023 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

AN Se Young (Korea) and CHEN Yu Fei (China).

It had been 27 years since Korea has had a woman’s singles Yonex All-England champion. An Se Young after her disappointment at last year’s championships being runner-up was desperate to place herself in badminton history and replicate her illustrious predecessor Bang Soo Hyun.

Bang Soo Hyun who lifted the Challenge Bowl after winning the women’s singles title at the 1996 Yonex All-England Championships, later that year she would go on to win the women’s singles gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics.

Photo: – Peter Richardson                           Click on images to enlarge

An Se Young had a comparatively easy passage to the semi-finals after being given a walkover in the quarter-finals by Spain’s Caralina Marin. The 21-year-old Korean then knocked out Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying from Chinese Taipei in an 82-minute semi-final on the Saturday evening. An Se Young showing no signs of tiredness from the previous evening, smashed her way to the women’s singles title by beating Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallists Chen Yu  Fei from China 21-17, 10-21, 21-19.

AN Se Young  (Korea)

Photos: –

Alan Spink – Action Photography.

Craig Burgess – Action Photography.

Badminton Photo.

Click on images to enlarge

FINAL RESULTS.

MEN’S SINGLES.

LI Shi Feng (China) bt. SHI Yu Qi (China) 26-24, 21-5.

WOMEN’S SINGLES.

AN Se Young (Korea) bt. CHEN Yu Fei (China) 21-17, 10-21, 21-19.

MEN’S DOUBLES.

Fajar ALFIAN & Muhammad Rian ARDIANTO  (Indonesia)  bt.  Mohammad AHSAN & Hendra SETIAWAN (Indonesia)  21-17, 21-14.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES.

KIM So Yeong & KONG Hee Yong (Korea) bt. BAEK Ha Na & LEE So Hee (Korea) 21-5, 21-12.

MIXED DOUBLES.

ZHENG Si Wei & HUANG Ya Qiong (China) bt. SEO Seung Jae & CHAE Yu Jung (Korea) 21-16, 16-21, 21-12.

LI Shi Feng (China)

Women’s Doubles Champions KIM So Yeong & KONG Hee Yong (Korea) Runners Up – BAEK Ha Na & LEE So Hee (Korea)

KIM So Yeong & KONG Hee Yong (Korea)

SEO Seung Jae and CHAE Yu Jung (Korea)

Sean VENDY and Ben LANE (England)

Women’s Singles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

Women’s Doubles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

For more information on the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

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2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

———————————————-

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge,

MILTON KEYNES  MK8 9LA

Free Admission.

———————————————

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

——————————————-

National Badaminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

——————————————-

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

2022 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Just before the start of the 2022 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced their decision because of the escalating conflict in Ukraine to exclude all players, coaches and technical officials from Russia and Belarus from sanctioned tournaments. As a direct result of this, seven Russian players who had entered the Yonex All-England were excluded and were replaced by other players on the reserve list.

Viktor Axelsen the Danish Olympic champion playing in his 4th consecutive Yonex All-England men’s singles final had a comparatively easy win in straight sets 21-10, 21-15 against the young 20-year-old Indian Lakshya Sen. This would be the second time Viktor had lifted the famous men’s singles trophy.

FINAL RESULTS.

 MEN’S SINGLES.

Viktor AXELSEN (Denmark)  bt.  Lakshya SEN (India) 21-10,21-15.        53 mins.

WOMEN’S SINGLES.

Akane YAMAGUCHI (Japan)  bt.  AN Seyoung (South Korea)  21-15,21-15.      44 mins.

MEN’S DOUBLES.

Muhammad Shohibul FIKRI & Bagas MAULANA (Indonesia)  bt.  Mohammad AHSAN & Hendra SETIAWAN (Indonesia)  21-19,21-13.      37 mins.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES.

Nami MATSUYAMA & Chiharu SHIDA (Japan)  bt.  ZHANG Shu Xian & Zheng Yu (China)  21-13,21-9.              41mins.

MIXED DOUBLES.

Yuta WATANABE & Arisa HIGASHINO (Japan)  bt. WANG Yi Lyn & HUANG Dong Ping  (China)  21-19,21-19.         58 mins.

In the women’s singles final Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi who had reached the Yonex All-England final in 2018 and had little resistance reaching the 2022 final. Her opponent in the final was An Seyoung from Korea. It had been 26 years since Bang Soo Hyun had won a Yonex All-England woman’s singles title for Korea.

The 4th seed An Seyoung had not dropped a game reaching the final with a particularly good straight games win against the 1st seed Tai Tzu Ying from Chinese Taipei.

In the final 2nd seed Akane Yamaguchi’s speed and force of attack was too much for the Korean, An Seyoung struggled with her timing and control unable to reach any real consistency throughout the 44-minute final losing 21-15,21-15.

Photo: – Alan Spink – Action Photography

Men’s Doubles Champions – Muhammad Shohibul FIKRI & Bagas MAULANA (Indonesia)

Women’s Doubles Champions – Nami MATSUYAMA & Chiharu SHIDA (Japan)

Mixed Doubles L. to R. Champions – Yuta WATANABE, Arisa HIGASHINO (Japan) Runners Up – HUANG Dong Ping, WANG Yi Lyu (China)

AN Seyoung (South Korea)

Lakshya SEN  (India)

Photos: – Craig Burgess – Action Photography

Click on images to enlarge

Women’s Singles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

Women’s Doubles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

Click on images to enlarge

For more information on the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

——————————————-

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge,

MILTON KEYNES  MK8 9LA

Free Admission.

———————————————-

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

———————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.   

  ————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

Badminton at the Commonwealth Games

The first Commonwealth Games (originally called British Empire Games) was held at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1930.

Badminton made its debut at the 1966 8th Games in Kingston, Jamaica. 11 nations entered the badminton tournament for which there was a restriction of four men and four women from each country. This limited the number of players to only 54, but those 54 included some of the world’s best players.  It was the Malaysian men and the English women who were dominant, Angela Bairstow (England) was the most successful player taking the gold medal in the woman’s singles and mixed doubles with Roger Mills. With Iris Rogers she would take the silver medal in the woman’s doubles after losing to Helen Horton and Ursula Smith (England) in the final. The Malaysian Tan Aik Huang would win the gold medal in the men’s singles and doubles with Yew Cheng Hoe.

Angela Bairstow’s medals, gold for the woman’s singles and mixed doubles, silver medal for the woman’s doubles. These medals have been donated to the National Badminton Museum by Angela’s family.

Photo: – Geoff Hinder                                                                                                                            Click on images to enlarge

1966 Woman’s singles medal presentation L. to R.  Sharon Whittaker (Canada) silver medal, Angela Bairstow (England) gold medal and Ursula Smith (England) bronze medal.

2022 – Commonwealth Games – Birmingham, England

Team Event

Click on the images to enlarge

Bronze  –  Singapore

Individual Events

Men’s Doubles

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Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge,

MILTON KEYNES  MK8 9LA

Free Admission.

————————————————–

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

———————————————–

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book – Click Here.

————————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

The First Thomas Cup Final

In 1939 Sir George Thomas who was the president of the International Badminton Federation (now Badminton World Federation – BWF) presented the Thomas Cup officially known as The International Badminton Championship Challenge Cup to the International Badminton Federation. The first tournament was originally planned for 1941-1942 but it was delayed by World War II. Sir George’s dream was finally realised in 1948-1949 when 10 national teams participated in the first Thomas Cup competition.

For more information on Sir George Thomas – Click Here.

Click on images to enlarge.

The draw for the inaugural Thomas Cup competition made by Sir George Thomas on June 30th 1948 from the trophy he had presented to the International Badminton Federation. The draw was made at the Charing Cross Hotel, London with representatives of the many competing nations.

There were three qualifying zones Pan- America, Europe and the Pacific, though Malaya (now Malaysia) was the only Pacific zone participant. India elected to play in the Pan American zone, this meant 24 hours of flying from Bombay to London then a four-day boat journey from Southampton to Halifax, Canada enroute to Toronto. They were beaten 7-2 by Canada and then Canada lost 8-1 to the USA. The European zone had 6 teams participating with Scotland, England, Denmark, Ireland, France and Sweden. Denmark and England made it to the semi-finals with Denmark beating England 9-0 in Copenhagen. In the other semi-final Malaya defeated the USA 6-3 in a highly competitive match played at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow.

The Final.

The Malayan and Danish teams being introduced to Sir George Thomas at the Queens Hall, Preston, England on the 25th February 1949.

The first Thomas Cup final was played at the Queens Hall, Preston, England on 25th and 26th February 1949. In the final owing to injury, Malaya would be without their star player Wong Peng Soon. At the end of the first day’s play, Malaya found themselves in the lead by 4-0. At the start of the second day’s play, Denmark was encouraged by Mogens Felsby’s decisive win over Law Teik Hock 15-11, 15-1. Unfortunately, Denmark did not win another game allowing Malaya to become the first Thomas Cup champions.

The Danish Team at Preston – L. to R. – Standing: – Knud Christensen, Jorn Skaarup, Preben Dabelsteen, Mogens Felsby.  Seated: – Poul Holm, Richard Heilb (Captain) and Ib Olesen.

Sir George Thomas, President of the International Badminton Federation and donor of the Cup, hands the Thomas Cup to Mr. Lim Chuan Geok, captain of the Malayan winning team in 1949.

Each member of the Malayan team received from Sir George Thomas a silver-gilt medal as a personal gift from himself to commemorate their success. Likewise, silver medals were also presented by Sir George to members of the Danish team and to Richard Heilbo, their captain. Also, all the members of the Committee of Management were presented medals by Sir George.

The triumphant Malayan team gathers around the Thomas cup in 1949.

Left to right :- Ong Poh Lim, Law Teik Hock, Lim Chuan Geok (captain), Ooi Teik Hock, Yeo Teck Chye, Chan Leong and Teoh Seng Khoon.

Malaya beat Denmark 8-1 to become the first nation to win the Thomas Cup. Malaya went on to win the following two Thomas Cups in 1952 and 1955.

 ———————————————–

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge,

MILTON KEYNES  MK8 9LA

Free Admission.

————————————————–

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

————————————–

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

———————————————–

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

2021 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships- With no spectators!

The 2021 Yonex All-England Championships would be the first time in its 111th history that spectators would not be allowed in the arena. Unfortunately, one Turkish player and the Indonesian team were withdrawn from the Championships after a person traveling on-board their inbound flight tested positive for Covid 19. They all had to self-isolate for 10 days.

Finals being played with no spectators present.

The exciting finals on the Sunday took six hours to complete, without the noise from the thousands of enthusiastic spectators that normally attend the Championships you could hear every shuttle being struck and the players landing on the sprung floor. All this enhanced the atmosphere for the millions of worldwide fans watching on television, it felt like your armchair was by the side of the court. Japan would have all six pairs in the doubles finals, guaranteeing them three titles. Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara added their fourth title when she won her second Yonex All-England woman’s singles title. The men’s singles title was the only trophy not to go to Japan when the young Malaysian Lee Zii Jia beat the reigning champion Viktor Axelsen from Denmark, it took Lee 1 hour and 14 minutes before he could lift the famous Arthur Barron Silver Challenge Trophy.

FINAL RESULTS.

 MEN’S SINGLES.

LEE Zii Jia (Malaysia)   bt.  Viktor AXELSEN (Denmark)  30-29, 20-22, 21-9.                             1hr. 14mins.

WOMEN’S SINGLES.

Nozomi OKUHARA (Japan)  bt.  Pornpawee CHOCHUWONG (Thailand) 21-12, 21-16.               44mins.

MEN’S DOUBLES.

Hiroyuki ENDO & Yuta WATANABE (Japan)  bt. Takeshi KAMURA (Japan) & Keigo SONODA (Japan)  21-15, 17-21, 21-11.                          1hr. 8mins.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES.

Mayu MATSUMOTO & Wakana NAGAHARA (Japan)  bt. Yuki FUKUSHIMA & Sayaka HIROTA (Japan)  21-18, 21-16.                                  56mins.

MIXED DOUBLES.

Yuta WATANABE & Arisa HIGASHINO (Japan)  bt. Yuki KANEKO & Misaki MATSUTOMO (Japan)  21-14, 21-13.                               40mins.

MEN’S SINGLES FINAL

Sixth seed Malaysian Lee Zii Jia reached the final without losing a game, eliminating top seed Kento Momota (Japan) 21-16, 21-19 in the quarter-finals. On the other side of the draw, the reigning champion Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen did not have such an easy passage, as three out of his four matches were hard-fought three-setters. The first game in the final went the full 59 points with Lee winning the deciding point. The second game was an equally tough match with Axelsen winning it 22-20. All was set for a third and final marathon game, but the Dane faded in the second half allowing the 22-year-old Lee Zii Jia to lift the famous Arthur Barron Silver Challenge Men’s Singles Trophy. 

Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia) with the Men’s Singles Arthur Barron Silver Challenge Trophy and runner-up Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)

Click on images to enlarge

WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL

Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara won her second Yonex All-England title by beating Pornpawee Chochuwong (Thailand). After dropping the first game in both her quarter-final and semi-final victories, 2nd seed Okuhara won the final in straight games against her 6th seed opponent, to reclaim the title she first won on her 21st birthday in 2016.

Women’s Singles – Runner-up – Pornawee Chochuwong (Thailand) and Champion –             Nozomi Okuara (Japan)

Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia)

THE DOUBLES

In the doubles finals all six pairs were from Japan guaranteeing them at least three 2021 Yonex All-England titles.

2021 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships Men’s Doubles. L. to R. Takeshi Kamura (Japan) and Keigo Sonoda (Japan), Yuta Watanabe (Japan) and Hiroyuki Endo.

Hiroyuki Endo (Japan) and Yuta Watanabe (Japan).

Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto (Japan)

The women’s doubles final was a repeat of last year’s semi-final, with the defending champions Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota up against the world champions Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara who this year would win the 2021 Yonex All-England woman’s doubles title 21-18, 21-16.

2021 Yonex All-England Championships Woman’s Doubles L. to R. Sayaka Hirota, Yuki Fukushima (Japan) and Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto (Japan).

Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino (Japan) right beat Yuki Kaneko and Misaki Matsutomo (Japan) 21-14, 21-13. in the 2021 Yonex All-England Championships mixed doubles final. 

In the woman’s singles India’s Pusarla V Sindhu, 5th seed loss in the semi-final to Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong 21-17, 21-9.

The English pair of Chloe Birch and Lauren Smith played one of their best Championship games in a 14-21, 21-12, 21-14. quarter-final defeat to Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota.

For more information on the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

Women’s  Singles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

Women’s Doubles Results

Click on the image to enlarge

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

———————————————————–

Visit the Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, MILTON KEYNES MK8 9LA.

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Free Admission.

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre 

Lodge Hotel

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

——————————————-

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

2020 Yonex All-England Championships

Men’s Singles Final: –  The 26-year-old great Dane Viktor Axelsen fulfilled his childhood dream as he romped to an impressive first Yonex All-England title. He breezed past No.1 seed Chou Tien Chen (China) 21-13, 21-14 to make amends for his defeat against Japan’s Kento Momota in the final the previous year. In lifting the trophy Axelsen became the first Danish player to do so since Peter Gade back in 1999, ending a 21 year wait and joining the illustrious list of Danish players who have been crowned champions including Erland Kops, Svend Pri, Morten Frost and Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen.

Woman’s Singles Final: – Tai Tzu Ying the Taiwanese player gained revenge for last year’s defeat in the final as she toppled the Chinese world No. 1 Chen Yu Fei to secure a hat-trick of Yonex All-England titles.

Men’s Doubles Final: – The Japanese pair Hiroyuki Endo & Yuta Watanabe won a thrilling men’s doubles final, defeating world No.1s and two-times champions Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in three captivating games.

Woman’s Doubles Final: – Yuki Fukushima & Yuta Hirota (Japan) stormed to the women’s doubles title, the third seeds were in inspiring form brushing aside the Chinese pair Du Yue and Li Yin Hui with ease to hold their maiden Yonex All-England trophy aloft.

Mixed Doubles Final: – Praveen Jordan surged to his second Yonex All-England mixed doubles title – but he had a different partner this time. The 26-year-old Indonesian triumphed long sides new companion Melati Daeva Okatavianti, beating Thai third seeds Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in an entertaining contest.

Woman’s singles: – Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Talpei)

Woman’s doubles: – Yuki Fukushima & Yuta Hirota (Japan)

Click on images to enlarge

Women’s Singles Results

Click on image to enlarge

Women’s Doubles Results

Click on image to enlarge

Click on images to enlarge

Men’s singles: – Chou Tien Chen (Chinese Talpei) & Viktor Axelsen (Denmark)

Photos: – Alan Spink – Action Photography

Click on images to enlarge

     Women’s singles: – Chen Yu Fei (China)          & Tai Tzu Ying (Chinese Talpei)

Men’s doubles: – Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia) – Hiroyuki Endo & Yuta Watanabe (Japan)

Woman’s doubles: – Du Yue & Li Yin Hui (China) – Yuki Fukushima & Yuta Hirota (Japan)

Mixed doubles: – Dechapol Puavaranukroh & Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand) –  Praveen Jordan & Melati Daeva Okatavianti (Indonesia)

For more information on the history of the All-England Badminton Championships – Click Here.

———————————————–

Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time – The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge,

MILTON KEYNES  MK8 9LA

Free Admission.

————————————————–

Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

——————————————-

There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

—————————————-

National Badminton Centre

 Lodge Hotel.

For information and to book a room – Click Here.

————————————————-

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

————————————————————-

If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.

The History of the All England Badminton Championships

The first Championships were played at the London Scottish Drill Hall in 1899 with only doubles played, singles being introduced the following year. The Championships would use three venues in London before settling at the Royal Horticultural Hall for 25 years. It was mainly dominated by English and Irish players for the first 35 Championships then gradually more players from overseas participated. In 1947 when the tournament resumed after the Second World War it would be mainly Danish and Malaysian players winning the titles. Eventually the Championships settled at the Wembley Arena for its longest period of 37 years in one venue. The Championships now being sponsored by Yonex, would make its last move to the National Indoor Arena, now called Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

For more information on : –

All-England – Champions – Click Here.

 All-England – Venues – Click Here.

All-England – Shuttlecocks Used – Click Here.

In 1898 the Guildford Badminton Club organised the first ever open badminton tournament at Guildford, England, it was a one-day event with men’s, ladies and mixed doubles being played. The first tournament at Guildford was such a success that the Badminton Association (England) decided to hold their own event and the following year, after much consideration it was decided to hold the first Championships on 4 April 1899 at the London Scottish Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, Westminster, London. Again, the tournament was played on a single day with only doubles being played. The Drill Hall was conveniently close to the main railway stations, and was well lit, lofty with four courts, although the two end courts had balconies hanging over them. The tournament was played on hourglass courts which are the normal size as we know them today but the width of the net was only 4.88m wide. The barrelled shuttle was used and the lines on the courts were chalked out on the morning of the tournament before play commenced and needed remarking during the day.

 Ethel Thomson was the first women’s singles champion and went on to win another four singles, four women’s doubles and two mixed doubles titles.

For more information about Ethel Thomson  – Click Here.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Crystal Palace – The Championships were played there for just one year in 1902.

 The London Rifle Brigades City Headquarters in 1908.

Click on the images to enlarge

A type of racket used in early All-England Championships and a Jaques ‘Association First Choice’ ‘barrel’ shuttlecock, so-called because its feathers shape closely resemble a barrel. The shuttlecocks were manufactured in France, and in the early days with no specifications laid down, they suffered from a considerable variation in the length of flight, size, weight and uniform strength.   This type of shuttlecock was used in the first 10 years of the Championships.

Photo: – Geoff Hinder

As the event grew the London Rifle Brigades venue became too small and in 1910 the Championships moved to the Royal Horticultural Hall in Westminster, London. They also change the shuttlecocks they used to the straight type similar to the ones they used today. After initial problems with lighting and the floor the venue became very popular with players and spectators. The Championships was suspended from 1915 to 1920 owing to the First World War.

Margaret Tragett nee Larminie who won a total of 11 All-England titles from 1911 to 1928.

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Frank Devlin

For more information on Judy Hashman nee Devlin – Click Here.

   Royal Horticultural Hall in the 1920s.    The venue would be used for the Championships from 1910 to 1939. On the Friday of the Championships England would play international matches. 

       1930s All-England Champions who dominated women’s badminton and won a total of 26        All-England titles.           L to R .     Betty Uber, Diana Doveton, Marjorie Henderson and Thelma Kingsbury.

For more information on

Betty Uber – Click Here.

Marjorie Henderson – Click Here.

Ralph Nichols in his England International blazer, Ralph in 1938 was the last Englishman to win the men’s singles title. Also in 1938 with his brother Lesley, they would be the last Englishmen to win the All-England men’s doubles title.

For more information on : –

All-England Blazers – Click Here.

Donald Hume – Click Here.

In the 1930s more and more overseas players entered the Championships and in 1938 when a large contingent of Danish players entered the Championships this would be the last year that English and Irish players would dominate the event. 1939 saw the first Danish winners with Tage Madsen taking the men’s singles title and Ruth Dalsgaard and Tonny Olsen the woman’s doubles. Also, Dorothy Walton would win the women’s singles for Canada.

With this influx of high-class international entry, the Badminton Association of England boldly decided for the 1940 event a larger venue was needed, so the 12000-seater Harringay Arena in North London where seven courts could be laid was chosen. The Second World War would put pay to these plans and the All-England Championships would not restart until 1947.

The first day of the 37th All-England Championships in 1947 was a disaster with only six matches being played. The night before a blizzard hit London, the wind forced snow down the ventilators in the roof and froze hard on the wooden floor laid over the ice rink. A fuel shortage meant that there was no heating in the arena and the temperature remained low. This would be the first year of Herbert Scheele’s 24-year reign as tournament referee, also the first of 36 years that RSL shuttles would be used at the Championships. The Championships would remain at Harringay for another two years before moving to the Empress Hall, Earls Court, London. This would be the start of Malaysian player’s dominance in the men’s events during the 1950s.

For more information about the 1947 All-England Championships ‘ That was Played on Ice’ – Click Here.

In 1957 the Championships would move to the Wembley Arena where it stayed for the next 37 years, the longest home for the Championships of any of the venues. Wembley was renowned for its air drift but also tremendous crowd atmosphere particularly on semi-final nights. Prior to 1977 the All-England was considered to be the unofficial World Championships. There were many great players that played at Wembley. Two of the legends were Judy Hashman from the USA who won a total of 10 ladies singles titles, a record that has never been surpassed and the other legend was Indonesian Rudy Hartono who won a total of eight men’s singles titles, again this record has not been surpassed.

For more information on – Rudy Hartono – Click Here.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Wembley Arena, London. The home of the Championships for 37 years.

                                                                                     Photo: – Peter Richardson

1957 All-England Men’s Singles

Erland Kops (Denmark) and ‘Eddy’ Choong (Malaya)

Eddy came to England to study law at University, he would win 4 men’s singles All-England titles and 3 doubles titles with his brother David. Eddy spent nine years based in England which allowed him to travel easily across Europe.  The next year Erland Kops would take the singles and doubles titles to start his incredible career with a total of 11 titles to become a Danish All-England legend.

Rudy Hartono at the height of his dominance in men’s singles in 1971, playing six matches to win the All-England singles he only had 39 points scored against him. In Rudy’s 10-year All-England career he only ever lost two matches. It was in 1975 making his first attempt at breaking the record of eight titles Rudy would lose his first-ever match at the All England. Playing tentatively in one of the most exciting and memorable finals he lost to the Dane Svend Pri in straight sets. Finally, in 1976 playing against his fellow countrymen Liem Swie King, Rudy would achieve his record-breaking eighth All-England crown. Some people say that Hartono is the greatest men’s singles All-England champion; he was certainly the youngest men’s singles champion and there never has been a player that dominated the event for so many years.

The Japanese women who were the predominate winners in the woman’s singles and doubles at the Championships during the 1970s.

Photo: Graham Habbin                                                                                                                                    Click on images to enlarge

Emike Ueno, Yoshiko Yonekura, Atsuko Tokuda and Mikiko Takada.

Gillian Gilks MBE

A triple All England Champion in 1976

Photo: – Louis Ross

1976 All England Mixed Doubles Final – Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks (ENG)  v  Mike Tredgett and Nora Gardner later Perry (ENG). Derek Talbot and Gillian Gilks won 15-9, 15-12. This gave Gillian Gilks her 3rd All England title that day.

For more information on Gillian Gilks – Click Here.

Zhang Ailing was the first Chinese All-England champion in 1982.

   Photo: – Peter Richardson   

                  Click on the images to enlarge.              

The first time a Chinese pair would win the men’s doubles title at the Yonex All-England Badminton Championships would be 1987 with the famous pair of Li Yongbo and Tian Bingyi taking the title. For the mixed doubles title, it would be the next year 1988 when Wang Pengren and Shi Fangjing would lift their Yonex All-England trophies.

1984 brought one of the longest sporting collaborations ever, Yonex’s sponsorship of the All-England Badminton Championships.

Photo: – Peter Richardson.                                                                                                              Click on the images to enlarge.

Wembley Arena 1988

In 1988 the management at the Wembley Arena with very little consultation with the Badminton Association of England, introduced a new spectator stand at the end of the arena. The stand was totally unsuitable for the event as it had such a gradual slope on it that spectators could not see over the top of other spectators’ heads. It also meant that six courts could not be laid along the arena as normal, so the courts had to be laid across the arena. At Wembley there had always been a strong air drift across the courts but with the courts laid the other way this meant that there was a fast and slow end. It was said that many matches were decided on the choice of ends. The next year the stand was scrapped and the court layout was reverted back to normal.

The Move to Birmingham

In 1993 after a successful Badminton World Federation World Championships at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, the Badminton  Association of England decided the next year to move the Yonex All-England Championships to the NIA. 2007 saw the Championships joining the BWF’s Super Series. Spectator numbers continue to grow at the Utilita Arena Birmingham as the NIA is now called, with its eight practice courts below the main arena plus many good hotels and restaurants in close proximity has become one of the finest badminton venues in the world.

Minoru Yoneyama founder of the Yonex Company presenting the men’s singles trophy to Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Denmark) in 1996.

Photo: – Peter Richardson 

1996 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships Men’s Singles Final.

Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen (Denmark)  v  Rashid Sidek (Malaysia).

Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen won 15-7, 15-6.

Photos: – Peter Richardson.                                                                                                                     Click on the images to enlarge.

1999 was the Centenary All-England Championships and to put the icing on the birthday cake the English pair of Joanne Goode and Simon Archer won the mixed doubles title.

1999  Yonex All-England Championship Mixed Doubles Final – Simon Archer and Joanne Goode (England)  v  Ha Tae-Kwon and Chung Jae-Hee (Korea). Simon Archer and Joanne Goode won 15-2, 15-13.

Photo: – Peter Richardson

The Chinese pair of Huang Sui and Gao Ling from 2001 would win 6 consecutive woman’s doubles titles, Gao Ling also from 2001 would win 5 mixed doubles titles with Zhang Jun and Zheng Bo, making Gao Ling’s total of 11 Yonex All-England titles. A remarkable achievement in the modern era of badminton.

Photo: – Alan Spink – Action Photography.                                                          Click on the images to enlarge.

2010 was the 100th All England Championships

Lin Dan lifting the famous Arthur Barron Silver Challenge Trophy after winning the 2012 Yonex All-England men’s singles title. Later on that year he would win his second badminton men’s singles Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

How they changed the Utilita Arena, Birmingham from an indoor athletics event to the 2007 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships in just over 2 minutes.

In 2013 Tine Baun playing in her last tournament of her magnificent badminton career, made it a hat-trick of Yonex All-England titles by winning the woman’s singles. Tine, the 33-year-old Danish former world number 1, became the oldest All-England champion in the Open era when she defeated an opponent who would have been the youngest champion as she outplayed the 18-year-old Intanon Ratchanok of Thailand.

Click on images to enlarge

Utilita Arena, Birmingham 

Photo: – Alan Spink  Action Photography

  Ever since the first Championships in 1899, it has depended on volunteers performing various duties, umpires, line judges, stewards, shuttle controllers, drivers, hall arena squads, team liaison officers and many more. A modern championship will have nearly 300 volunteers working with the professional Badminton England staff. The photograph above is of some of the volunteers and officials at the 2016 Yonex All-England Championships.

Photo: – Badminton Photo.                                                                                                                              Click on images to enlarge

2019 Men’s singles final – Kento Momota (Japan) far side  v  Viktor Axelsen (Denmark). Kento Momoto would win the final 21-11, 15-21, 21-15. to become the first Japanese Yonex All-England men’s singles champion.

Photo: – Alan Spink  Action Photography

2021 the year of facemasks and no spectators. 

Finals being played with no spectators present.

The exciting finals on the Sunday took six hours to complete, without the noise from the thousands of enthusiastic spectators that normally attend the Championships you could hear every shuttle being struck and the players landing on the sprung floor. All this enhanced the atmosphere for the millions of worldwide fans watching on television, it felt like your armchair was by the side of the court.

Japan would have all six pairs in the doubles finals, guaranteeing them three titles, Nozomi Okuhara winning the woman’s singles gave them their fourth title. Yuta Watanabe would win the men’s and mixed doubles making him the first male player in two decades to win two titles in the same year.

In the men’s singles, sixth seed Malaysian Lee Zii Jia reach the final without losing a game. On the other side of the draw, reigning champion Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen did not have such an easy passage as three out of his four matches were hard-fought three-setters. In the final the first game went the full 59 points with Lee winning the deciding point. The second game was an equally tough match with Axelsen winning it 22-20. All was set for a third and final marathon game, but the Dane faded in the second half allowing the 22-year-old Lee Zii Jia to lift the famous Arthur Barron Silver Challenge Men’s Singles Trophy.

Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe (Japan).

2024 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

1899 – 2024.

125th Anniversary Championships.

With a Royal Visit.

Geoff Hinder and Jim Mann from the Badminton Museum showing the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh the history of the All-England Badminton Championships.

How did it all begin – Film – The History of the All-England Badminton Championships.

2026 Yonex All-England Badminton Championships

Tuesday 3 March 2026 to Sunday 8 March 2026.

At the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.

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Visitors are welcome to look around the Museum unescorted at any time –

 The National Badminton Centre is normally open 9am to 8pm every day.

Badminton Museum, National Badminton Centre, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge,

MILTON KEYNES  MK8 9LA

Free Admission.

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Accessibility

The Badminton Museum is on the 1st floor with a lift. Disabled toilet facilities are available on the 1st floor. There is no wheelchair accessibility to the Museum office.

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There is a restaurant on the first floor serving breakfasts every day of the week and light lunches on weekdays.

Free parking at the National Badminton Centre.

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National Badminton Centre

Lodge Hotel.

For more information and to book a room – Click Here.

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If you have any badminton memorabilia, archive material, or any other items and would like to donate them to the Badminton Museum please contact us at: –

 museum@badmintonengland.co.uk

Thank you to all the ‘Friends of the Museum’ and people who have made donations to the Badminton Museum, your support enables us to purchase extremely rare badminton artefacts for the National Collection as they become available.