Badminton: Thailand's Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul becomes BWF president, only 2nd woman ever to take up the role
Khunying Patama succeeds Denmark's Poul-Erik Høyer, whose 12-year tenure as BWF President ends on Saturday.
Lu Shengrong, who served in the role from 1993 to 2001, was the first female chief of the global governing body. Lu's election as IBF President in 1993 was also the first Chinese president of any international sporting organisation.
'For me, badminton has always been more than a sport and tonight marks a deeply meaningful milestone,' said Khunying Patama. 'While badminton is in a strong position today, we must continue to work towards making badminton a truly global sport.
'The next Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles are just three years away and LA28 presents a powerful opportunity to elevate our sport on the world stage. We must be ready to grab this moment.' Høyer was awarded Honorary Life Vice President by the BWF membership at the AGM.
Thailand's Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul has been confirmed new BWF President at the 86th BWF AGM in Xiamen, China held today Saturday 26 April 2025. Leeswadtrakul is the second woman president of the BWF. She won unopposed. Leeswadtrakul succeeds Poul-Erik Høyer, whose 12-year… pic.twitter.com/P5ZsK6fkSh
— BWF (@bwfmedia) April 26, 2025
Khunying Patama added: 'Badminton has come a long way over the past decade, and I am truly grateful for the strong foundations that have been laid by my good friend Poul-Erik Høyer.
Høyer reflected on his 12-year term, the growth of the sport, and his wishes for the future. 'It's a great honour to pass on the baton of BWF President to my dear friend and colleague Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul,' said Høyer. 'I am sure badminton and the BWF will continue to grow and blossom under your leadership and guidance.
Paris 2024 CEO Etienne Thobois of France was confirmed as Deputy President-elect. He was the sole candidate for the position. Also at the AGM, the BWF membership formalised the permanent banning of the controversial 'spin serve' which was earlier temporarily banned. The next BWF AGM is planned for April or May 2026 in conjunction with the BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026 in Horsens, Denmark.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Asian shooting: Anant Jeet Singh Naruka wins gold in skeet
New Delhi: Paris Olympian Anant Jeet Singh Naruka won a close contest against Mansour Al Rashidi 57-56 to win gold in the men's skeet final at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. anant Jeet Singh Naruka won gold in the men's skeet final at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. (NRAI) Naruka had won a silver in the last edition and kept his composure under pressure to beat the seasoned former Asian Games champion. Naruka, who finished fourth in the mixed skeet event at the Paris Olympics narrowly missing out on an Olympic medal, has been consistent in his performance at the top level. Last year he won a silver medal in the World Cup Final in Delhi. At the ongoing Asian meet, Naruka finished third in qualifying with a score of 119. In the 60-shot final Naruka was in top form and fired 29 of his first 30 targets. He took the lead, shooting 35 of 36 targets and was one hit ahead of his rival with 10 shots to go. Both shooters missed one in the tense final round, handing Naruka the prized medal. The women's skeet trio of Maheshwari Chauhan, Ganemat Sekhon and Raiza Dhillon combined for a bronze in the team event. In the air pistol mixed team event, Suruchi Phogat and Saurabh Chaudhary won a bronze. They shot 578 in the qualification with Suruchi scoring 292 and Saurabh 286. In the bronze medal match , the Indian duo beat the Chinese Taipei pair of Liu Heng-Yu and Hsieh Hsiang-Chen 17-9. India added two gold medals in 10m air pistol mixed team junior and youth events. Vanshika Chaudhary and Jonathan Gavin Antony won the 10m air pistol mixed team junior event defeating the Korean pair of Kim Yejin and Kim Dooyeon 16-14. For Jonathan, it was his third medal of the championship, having also won an individual bronze and team silver. Ganesh Gupta and Gamberya Gowda then beat Iran 16-14 in the gold medal match. India had topped the qualification with a score of 575. India thus ended the day on top of the medal tally with a total of 19 medals -- nine gold, five silver and bronze medals each.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Shamsher dropped from Asia Cup squad
NEW DELHI: There were a couple of surprises in store as Hockey India (HI) announced the Asia Cup squad on Wednesday. The biggest name missing was two-time Olympic bronze medallist Shamsher Singh who didn't find a spot in the 18-member squad that will vie for gold in Rajgir from August 29-September 7. Hosts India are in Pool A with China, Japan and Kazakhstan at the Asia Cup set to begin from August 29 in Rajgir. (FIH/ Frank Uijlenbroek) Talented attacking midfielder Rajinder Singh has taken Shamsher's spot while Shilanand Lakra has come in place of the recently retired Lalit Kumar Upadhyay. Other important names missing in the Harmanpreet Singh-led squad were double Olympic bronze medallist Gurjant Singh and Nilakanta Sharma. The rest of the team remains the same experienced lot which has been playing together for a few seasons now. Goalkeeping duties will be shared by Krishan Pathak and Suraj Karkera. In defence, Harmanpreet will be joined by Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay and Jugraj Singh. The midfield engine comprises former skipper Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rajinder, Raj Kumar Pal and Hardik Singh. Leading the attack will be Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lakra and Dilpreet Singh, who is making a comeback into the team. Nilam Sanjeep Xess and Selvam Karthi have been named as alternate players. 'We've gone with an experienced squad that understands what it takes to perform in high-pressure situations. The Asia Cup is crucial for us because qualification for the World Cup is at stake, so we need players who have the composure, resilience and know-how to deliver,' said India chief coach Craig Fulton. 'The selection reflects our intent — to put forward a team that can compete strongly and achieve our main objective. I'm very pleased with the balance and quality across the squad. We have leaders in every line — defence, midfield, and attack — and that collective strength is what excites me the most. The way this team can play together will be our strongest asset.' The Asia Cup champions will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands. Hosts India are in Pool A with China (August 29), Japan (August 31) and Kazakhstan (September 1). Pool B comprises Malaysia, holders South Korea, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei. The top two from each group will qualify for the Super 4s. Squad: Goalkeepers: Krishan B Pathak + Suraj Karkera Defenders: Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh Alternate athletes: Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Selvam Karthi
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Neeraj Chopra to skip Brussels Diamond League
New Delhi [India], August 20 (ANI): The current javelin throw world champion and Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra will skip the Brussels Diamond League, reported the on competition will take place in Belgium on Friday. With Neeraj having sealed his spot for the Zurich Diamond League final on August 27-28 with 15 points from his past two Diamond League appearances this season, Neeraj can take this time to freshen himself up for his world title men's javelin throw final, which will decide the 2025 Diamond League champion, will be held on August 28. Neeraj is a 2022 Diamond League champion and a runner-up in 2023 and 2024. He is yet to announce his participation for the final in Zurich, though. Brussels meet would be the fourth and final Diamond League event scheduled for this year, with men's javelin throw category in it. Neeraj has opted to skip this one, just like he opted out of the Silesia Diamond League earlier this month. Neeraj finished runner-up in the 2024 Diamond League final with his best throw of 87.86 m, losing to Grenada's Anderson Peters by barest of the margins of one Indian superstar has enjoyed a spectacular start to the 2025 took the top honours in the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a competition named after him at Sri Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium in Bengaluru last month. The reigning javelin throw champion stood triumphant with kickstarted with a win at the Potch Invitational in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April and followed it up with a very special second-place finish at Doha Diamond League, where he crossed the 90-metre mark for the first time ever, with a throw of 90.23 also went on to secure a second spot in the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland later that month and resumed his winning ways with back-to-back titles at Paris Diamond League and Ostrava Golden Spike this month, with best efforts of 88.16 m and 85.29 m. Most recently came his NC Classic triumph in front of his home will defend his world title in the World Athletics Championships scheduled for Tokyo from September 13-21. During the previous edition, Neeraj had finished ahead of Nadeem to win the gold, becoming the first-ever Indian to land a gold at the marquee event. (ANI)
