Singapore Badminton Association

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Singapore Badminton Association
SingaporeBadmintonAssociation.png
SportBadminton
JurisdictionSingapore
AbbreviationSBA
Founded1929 (1929)
AffiliationSNOC
Badminton Asia
BWF
Regional affiliationAsia
HeadquartersKallang, Singapore
PresidentLawrence Leow
Official website
www.singaporebadminton.org.sg
Singapore

Singapore Badminton Association (abbreviation: SBA) is the national governing body for badminton in Singapore. It governs, encourages and develops the sport throughout the country.

Founded in 1929, the SBA is an affiliate of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC). It is also a member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Asia, which was formerly known as the Badminton Asian Confederation.

As of 2021, the SBA has a total of 32 member clubs across the country.[1] It closely liaises with the member clubs to provide support to the club and league structures.

History[]

Formation[]

After its introduction by the British and the Amateur Sporting Association in the 1920s, badminton gained widespread popularity throughout Singapore.[2] It was against this backdrop that the SBA was established several years later in 1929, with Tan Boo Teck as its inaugural president.[3] Upon its formation, the SBA allowed badminton parties, which were essentially teams consisting of badminton enthusiasts, to affiliate themselves with them and take part in their annual open championships.[4]

Following the Japanese Occupation, the SBA had to deal with the loss of some of its best players to the war, the lack of proper facilities and the rising cost of maintaining the club.[4] Nevertheless, Malaya, which Singapore was then a part of, prepared to send its first team to the 1949 Thomas Cup.[1] The team eventually emerged victorious, beating Denmark 8–1 in the finals held in England.[1]

Singapore Badminton Hall

At the time, the lack of proper facilities meant that the SBA's players started practicing in open-air courts.[1] SBA meetings were also mainly held at the Clerical Union Hall.[4] The Thomas Cup win, however, kicked off a fundraiser to build a badminton hall. Despite the donations, the SBA struggled with the cost of the construction and had to relinquish ownership of the badminton hall to the Singapore Sports Council (now known as Sport Singapore).[1] Eventually, the Singapore Badminton Hall, which also doubled as the SBA's headquarters, was opened in 1952.[4]

In January 2008, the SBA's lease at the Singapore Badminton Hall expired. The SBA then relocated to the Singapore Sports School.[5] The SBA is currently located at the Singapore Sports Hub, after the latter's construction was completion in 2014.[6]

Post-independence[]

Badminton would experience a revival in Singapore after the 1983 Southeast Asian Games, when Wong Shoon Keat won the gold medal at the men's singles.[7]

In 2021, Loh Kean Yew made history by becoming the men's singles world champion, winning the title at the 2021 BWF World Championships, becoming the first Singaporean to achieve this feat.[8]

SBA Badminton Academy[]

In 2017, the SBA launched the Singapore Badminton Academy in partnership with ActiveSG.[9] The academy, headed by former Olympian Jiang Yanmei, offers a series of badminton programmes across Singapore for aspiring shuttlers aged six to 17.[10] Many former national shuttlers are part of the academy's coaching team.[9]

Presidents[]

Year President Ref
–2008 Lim Swee Say [11]
2008–2016 Lee Yi Shyan [11]
2016– Lawrence Leow [11]

Tournaments[]

The SBA is involved in a number of tournaments throughout the year.

Singapore Open[]

The Singapore Open (previously known as the Konica Cup) is a BWF-sanctioned tournament organised by the SBA. It has been categorised as a BWF World Tour Super 500 event since the BWF announced its new events structure in 2018.[12] The tournament, which offered a total prize money of US$355,000 in its 2019 edition, attracts some of the world's best shuttlers.[13]

Singapore International[]

The Singapore International or Singapore Satellite, Cheers Asian Satellite is an open international badminton tournament in Singapore. In the last few years, this tournament has been categorised by BWF as International Series level.[14]

Singapore National Championships[]

The National Open Championships is a Tier 1 SBA Tournament, with the highest ranking points under the National Ranking System.[15]

Other SBA Sanctioned Tournaments[]

The following tournaments, all of which are tier 2 and below events, are currently sanctioned by the SBA:[16]

  • Alpha Age Group Series
  • Brave Sword Series
  • Papago Badminton Carnival
  • Pesta Sukan (Badminton)
  • Chinese Swimming Club Age Group Tournament
  • Berita Harian / Pilot Pen / Ashaway Youth Games
  • KSA Challenge

Notable Shuttlers[]

Many shuttlers have represented Singapore on the world stage, both prior and after the nation gained independence.

Pre-independence[]

Post-independence[]

Olympians[]

Below is the list of Olympians that had represented Singapore over the years:[20]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "About". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  2. ^ Tan, T. C., et al. (2002). Upholding the legacy Singapore badminton. Singapore: Asiapac, p. 7
  3. ^ Tan, Joanna. "Badminton in Singapore". Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Tan, Bonny. "Singapore Badminton Association". Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  5. ^ Wang, J. (2007, September 25). SBA to get new home at Sports School. The Straits Times, p. 36. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ "Contact". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Satu lagi sejarah!". Berita Harian. 6 June 1983. p. 9. Retrieved 20 August 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ "Singapore's Loh Kean Yew is badminton world champion". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Singapore Badminton Association launches academy with ActiveSG". TODAYonline. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Programmes: Badminton Academy". ActiveSG. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "Badminton association going local to attain goals". AsiaOne. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  12. ^ "BWF Launches New Events Structure". 19 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Singapore Open 2019". BWF World Tour. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Singapore International Series 2018". Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  15. ^ "National Open Championships". Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  16. ^ "SBA Sanctioned Tournaments". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Singles gold for Li Li". BBC. 4 August 2002. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  18. ^ "Singapore's Loh Kean Yew is badminton world champion". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Satu lagi sejarah!". Berita Harian. 6 June 1983. p. 9. Retrieved 20 August 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  20. ^ "Our Olympians". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
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