BWF Wins ‘Creativity Vote’

The Badminton World Federation’s innovative voting system has been recognised in this year’s prestigious Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award in Dubai.

Competing in the eighth edition of the award, badminton’s world-governing body has been announced winner of the International Category – Corporate Sports Creativity (International Federation of the Year Award).

BWF’s successful submission detailed its unique voting system, started in 2012, in which an objective and transparent method is used to determine voting strength, which rewards each member association for its engagement in international badminton and their contributions towards the development of the sport globally.

The system has been referenced by sports governance experts as “an inspiring case of change” and as a “democratic governance system…(which) offers an interesting opportunity for sport leaders across the world to rethink sport democratisation, as they start modernising their governance standards to get fit for purpose in the 21st century”.

Reacting to the news, BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer hailed the achievement as one “which will spur us in BWF to continue stretching our imagination and creativity as we seek not only to enhance our sport and the global badminton environment, but also to contribute to the international sporting landscape in any way possible”.

“We are pleased with how our voting system has evolved and the manner in which it has been embraced by our membership as well as by others in the sporting fraternity. This award is further validation of its merit,” he said.

The award, which is accompanied by a US$250,000 prize, will be presented to the BWF at a ceremony on Monday 9 January, 2017, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. BWF will be honoured along with winners in other categories of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, including the British Paralympic Association which won the International Paralympic Federation of the Year Award.

Featured image: Vote counting during the 2012 BWF Council elections in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.