GUANGZHOU: In a landmark announcement, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Monday launched a remodelled world tour and presented HSBC as their principal global partner in a sponsorship agreement that will catapult badminton to unprecedented heights.
The global banking group will have a corporate presence across BWF’s entire suite of events – title-sponsoring the new HSBC BWF World Tour and HSBC BWF World Tour Finals for the next four years as well as becoming premier sponsor for the BWF major events (World Championships, Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup Finals).
On the development front, HSBC has been named as BWF Global Development Partner, working with the world-governing body to grow badminton globally.
During the launch event, it was also revealed that the city of Guangzhou will host the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals (formerly World Super Series Finals) for the 2018-2021 tournament cycle.
Welcoming HSBC to the BWF’s global family, BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer said: “This is a significant milestone in our federation’s history. We are stepping boldly into the future with a partnership that will define badminton for the ages.”
Helen Wong, chief executive officer (CEO) of HSBC Greater China, said: “HSBC is excited to help grow this popular sport across Asia and beyond, through this global partnership with the BWF. Supporting the new HSBC BWF World Tour, we hope to develop deeper relationships with athletes, fans, customers and employees on every stop, including here in Guangzhou.”