The Badminton World Federation (BWF) and HSBC jointly launched the AirBadminton Community Project at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China on the 11th December 2019.<\/p>\n
Following the successful launch of AirBadminton in Guangzhou in May, the BWF together with its Global Development Partner, HSBC, announced they are delivering a number of permanent AirBadminton courts on various surfaces for public usage as part of their community outreach programme.<\/p>\n
The first of these courts were unveiled at a special exhibition at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China, in conjunction with the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals.<\/p>\n
The event was attended by BWF President and Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games men\u2019s singles gold medallist Poul-Erik H\u00f8yer, President and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited, David Liao, and representatives from the Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) and Guangzhou Sports Bureau (GSB).[vc_single_image image=”5511″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]President H\u00f8yer said the aim of the project is to increase accessibility to AirBadminton by constructing public courts for communities to use.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been working very hard with HSBC and our friends at CBA and GSB to transform under- utilised spaces and install permanent AirBadminton courts in available public areas,\u201d H\u00f8yer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something we are very excited about and something we believe will be a game-changer for the development of AirBadminton and the sport in general.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be opening more courts in a further four locations in Guangzhou City before the end of the year, and it has been agreed that for the next phase of the rollout we will be laying more courts in nearby Shenzhen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf successful, we hope to see permanent AirBadminton courts erected all around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt is also the perfect timing as we expect the first AirShuttles to be on the shelf and available for public purchase globally early next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
The AirBadminton project has been five years in the making, starting with a vision to develop a new outdoor shuttlecock, the AirShuttle, with increased durability, stability and wind resistance to allow people to have a more positive experience of badminton outdoors.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”5513″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]An underlying objective of AirBadminton is to promote the health and social benefits of the sport.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Liao said: \u201cWe are hugely excited to see the first outdoor badminton courts put into use in Guangdong, a region that is so passionate about badminton as well as being strategically important for HSBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not only a major step in the development of AirBadminton that aims to bring more benefits of playing badminton to the community, but also a good demonstration of our long- term commitment to community development.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local junior players from the Guangzhou Badminton Academy christened the new permanent outdoor courts, while fans at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals also had the chance to try out AirBadminton at the fan activation zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe these new public courts will make badminton more accessible to more people and create a platform for them to share a healthier, better and more inclusive life with each other,\u201d Liao added.<\/p>\n
More information on how communities can access these courts can be found here:\u00a0www.airbadminton.sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first AirShuttles will be available on the market in the first quarter of 2020.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n AirBadminton \u2013 The New Outdoor Game<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Why AirBadminton?<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n 7 Things You Need To Need To Know About AirBadminton<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Chinese Stars Endorse AirBadminton<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n BWF Looks Forward To Next Phase Of AirBadminton Projec<\/a>t\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n AirBadminton Tournament Debuts At Popular Fest<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n