THE Malaysia Open will become a Super 1,000 event beginning next year.
Considered one of badminton's oldest tournaments, the Malaysia Open, first held in 1937, will offer US$1.25 million (5.5 million) in prize money.
Yesterday, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) revealed additional four stops on the BWF World Tour from 2023 to 2026 as part of their expansion plans.
The new 31-event World Tour calendar will see more Super 1000, Super 750, and Super 500 tournaments, bringing greater prize money opportunities for players.
The announcement capped an exciting bid process which saw healthy interest from bidders.
BWF secretary general Thomas Lund is confident the BWF World Tour 2023-2026 will elevate the status of badminton globally.
"Badminton is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with all-time high participation and fan numbers.
"The expansion of tournaments will allow us to enhance the sport's reach worldwide, not only in established territories but into new ones. It will also allow more players to enter our elite circuit and gain valuable experience," he said.
"We were very encouraged by the high-quality bids we received. It bodes well for a bigger and better tour across the next four years.
Lund confirmed there would be no change to current player commitment obligations.
With the promotion, the Malaysia Open joins the All England, China Open, and Indonesia Open as the tour's highest-level tournaments.
The India Open and Singapore Open have been bumped to Super 750 status. Existing Super 750 hosts from China, Denmark, France, and Japan have maintained their status.
The Super 500 level welcomes host cities from three new continents with tournaments in Australia, Canada, and Finland, joining Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.
The Super 100 HYLO Open in Germany and the Orleans Masters in France will now become World Tour Super 300 events.
The expansion is bankrolled by a significant investment from BWF and commercial partner, Infront.