Ningbo selected as host city for 2024-2025 Badminton Asia Championships

The National Badminton Championships is held in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province in August 2023. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo, situated in East China's Zhejiang province, has been named as the host city for the upcoming 2024-2025 season of Badminton Asia Championships, as confirmed by the Chinese Badminton Association on Jan 23.

Recognized as a Super 1000 event by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the Badminton Asia Championship represent the pinnacle of badminton competition in Asia. Following the 2019 edition held in Wuhan, Hubei province, the event is set to return to China, with Ningbo becoming the 8th city in the country to secure hosting rights for this esteemed competition.

The tournament, scheduled to take place from April 9 to 14, is anticipated to draw top athletes from over 20 countries and regions across Asia, including powerhouse badminton nations such as China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India. Serving as the final leg of the qualification race for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the competition will feature five events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles.

Ningbo's selection as the host city serves as a testament to the city's rich badminton heritage and will solidify its standing as a significant player in the international badminton community.

With a proven track record in organizing sporting events, Ningbo excelled in hosting the National Badminton Championships in August 2023, achieving record-high attendance and ticket revenue.

The city has also been instrumental in nurturing world badminton champions such as Liu Jianjun, Zhou Haodong, and Wang Chang. In the latest world rankings by the BWF, Ningbo athlete Wang Chang and his partner Liang Weikeng have risen to the top position in the men's doubles category, marking the first time in six years that a Chinese men's doubles pair has achieved the feat.

The Badminton Asia Championships represent the newest addition to Ningbo's expanding portfolio of prestigious sporting events, building on its triumph in winning the hosting rights for the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships.