The AirBadminton Black Sea Cup was held, and it was a lot of fun!
AirBadminton is an ambitious new development project in partnership with HSBC, BWF’s Global Development Partner, designed to create opportunities for people of all ages and ability to play badminton on hard, grass and sand surfaces in parks, gardens, streets, playgrounds, and beaches around the world.
BWF President and Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games men’s singles gold medallist Poul-Erik Høyer has said that AirBadminton provides a pathway for increased global participation in the sport while opening up doors for a new, highly attractive form of competitive badminton.
- Given that most people’s first experience with badminton comes in an outdoor environment, we are now making it easier for everyone to access the sport through a new outdoor game and new shuttlecock, the AirShuttle.
Historic event
Ukraine is wasting no time in getting started. On 22 August, for the first time in Ukraine, the official AirBadminton tournament, the Black Sea Cup, was held. The tournament was a part of the annual festival Ukrainian Beach Games 2020 in Odessa.
There were three categories: men's and women's and mixed doubles. President of Ukrainian Badminton Federation, Oleksii Dniprov, was delighted with the event and said.
- It’s a historic tournament for Ukrainian badminton. We started AirBadminton activities together with all the world. That is very important for us. I am sure that AirBadminton will help us develop badminton on a new level, as it’s a game that people can play anywhere anytime.
Local organiser of the tournament, Oleksandr Samsoniuk, added.
- All the participants enjoyed playing AirBadminton. Wind, sun, and sand forced athletes to adapt their game and to make quick decisions. That made the matches more spectacular.
Both participants and organisers expressed a desire to make the tournament an annual event.
European Championships 2021
Both the European badminton community and Ukraine are very much looking forward to the 2021 European Championships and BEC Congress due to take place in Kyiv next year. The Ukrainian Badminton Federation has been doing some great work over the past few years working towards the goal of making badminton one of Ukraine’s most popular and accessible sports.