Sport Industry Scholarship Programme 2020 for Dual Career Athletes, Member Association Staff & Young Athletes – Updates

January 14, 2021

In October 2020, Badminton World Federation in partnership with the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) launched two scholarship programmes that would provide athletes and other industry talent with greater opportunities to learn new skills. (link)

  • Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in International Sports Management
  • Athlete Certificate

For more information, please kindly contact BWF Development Team ([email protected])

Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in International Sports Management

BWF received more than 70 applications from at least 35 countries, comprising staffs of Member Associations, current and former athletes (badminton and Para badminton), technical officials, coaches and university graduates, with female applicants making up 36 per cent.

After going through the evaluation process, we shortlisted candidates for the one fully-funded scholarship and 10 half-funded scholarships available for WAoS and University of London’s recently launched Postgraduate Certificate in International Sports Management for January 2021 intake.

The full scholarship went to Mahoor Shahzad, a female applicant from Pakistan. The half scholarships were awarded to five female applicants and five male applicants. On top of that, WAoS offered 25 per cent scholarships to four candidates. This means 15 candidates from 14 Member Associations benefitted from the scholarship programme.

Mahoor Shahzad: “I am delighted to get an opportunity to study online, PG Certificate in International Sports Management, from University of London on full scholarship. No doubt this is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am willing to avail it with the best input. This collaboration between WaoS and University of London is playing a major role in providing an international platform for players like me who are resilient and eager to do well in sports and studies but find it tough to maintain a balance due to competitions and training schedule.

I hope this golden opportunity would help me maintain a balance between my studies and profession. I’m looking forward to getting international exposure through University of London. This will not only prepare me for a bright future but also allow me to put my best input on the field.”

We wish the successful candidates the best for their educational journey which begins this month.

Currently, BWF and WAoS are in discussion on the possibility of launching another round of scholarship opportunities for the next intake.

Athlete Certificate

We received more than 310 applications from more than 60 countries, with female youth athletes accounting for 40 per cent of it.

After receiving endorsement from Member Associations, more than 260 youth athletes received their scholarships to complete the WAoS Athlete Certificate programme.

Farbin Binte Emdad Hridita, Bangladesh National Junior Player: “To complete this course I had to go through so many procedures and read all the pages of the five modules with multiple choice tests at the end of each. This course taught me so much about the tools to navigate the student-athlete path, the dos and don’ts of handling the toughest situations, the best qualities which can be possessed as an athlete and how to be keenly focused on increasing my chances of success. Being a badminton player, it is not easy to keep a balance between studies and sports. I have to spend hours on court for training as it requires strength, endurance and mental capability and I also have to cope with my studies. All that I have learned from this course will surely help me become a successful student-athlete. Your goals can help you stay on course but experience help you anticipate and deal with hurdles along the way.”

Jayci Simon, USA National Para Badminton Player: “My experience with the course was a great step in helping me advance my badminton career. I liked the setup of the programme. The reflection questions really helped me think deeper about each specific topic. I benefitted most from reflecting on my challenges and the goals I want to achieve in the future. I have gained insight regarding my health and wellbeing, and gotten ideas on how to manage my social media accounts. The section on planning, balancing, and organising my schedule as an athlete will improve my time management skills.”

Cheong Kwok Khuen, Malaysia Junior Player: “It was pretty fun and surprising because I didn’t know there were so many factors that will affect my career as an athlete. I’ve learned how to become better athlete by making better decisions, maintaining relationships (with family, friends and coaches), taking care of my mental and physical well-being and avoiding match-fixing. This knowledge will help me develop as an athlete and become a better person in general. I’m still learning, because an athlete’s career is a journey, not a destination.”

At the moment, BWF & WAoS are in discussion on the possibility to launch a second scholarship opportunities for the young athletes who missed out this opportunity in the early of 2021.

Get updates with news related to BWF Development by subscribing to the BWF Development Newsletter here.