Guwahati has been announced as the host city of the BWF World Junior Championships in 2025, the Badminton World Federation announced on Tuesday.
The Junior Worlds usually features a team event first, followed by individual events across the five categories, and the BWF said that both will be held at the Badminton Association of India’s (BAI) National Centre of Excellence in the northeastern region of India. The hosting rights were confirmed at the BWF Council meeting on April 28.
The World Juniors were last held in India in Pune in 2008. India’s only gold medal in the junior major came that year when Saina Nehwal defeated Sayaka Sato to become world champion.
The NCOE boasts 14 badminton courts, an international standard gymnasium and seating capacity of around 4,000 spectators. “The allotment of the BWF World Juniors to Guwahati is vindication of India’s growing reputation as a badminton powerhouse which can not only produce champion players but also host mega international events. During the Guwahati Masters, BWF officials had also visited the National Centre of Excellence to check out the facilities and other arrangements,” said BAI secretary general Sanjay Mishra.
In July 2021, it was announced by the BWF that India will host the World Championships in 2026. Originally, the 2023 Sudirman Cup was to be held in India but it was awarded to Suzhou in China, with India accepting to host the marquee senior event in 2026. Tuesday’s announcement means that India will be hosting a BWF major event in back-to-back years. The host city for the 2026 marquee tournament hasn’t been officially announced yet.
BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer said it was exciting to see a BWF Major Championship return to India.
“India’s production line of elite badminton talent is booming, and it is of great significance for the BWF to bring our World Juniors to India for just the second time,” Hoyer said in a statement. “BAI’s brand new National Centre of Excellence is a state-of-the-art facility for badminton and will be the perfect arena for our next generation talent to battle it out for team and individual glory.”
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The NCOE, with top-notch facilities, came up in Guwahati last year. It promised personalised attention, with top coaches to help those who show the hunger to succeed. The base fitness standards are expected to go up, and fundamentals drilled in. Results will be keenly followed in the next 2-3 years as a bunch of teenagers are assembled there. While it is open to juniors from across the country, it is especially helpful for talent from the north-east.
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