Pullela Gopichand is a former Indian badminton player. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the India national badminton team. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone. He runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy. He received the Arjuna Award in 1999, the Dronacharya Award in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan – India's third highest civilian award – in 2014.
The Nigeria Football Federation is Nigeria's football governing body. It was formally launched in 1945 and formed the first Nigerian national football team in 1949. It joined CAF in 1959 and FIFA in 1960. The NFF headquarters is located in the city of Abuja.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member nations. In 1981 the IBF merged with the World Badminton Federation, and on 24 September 2006, at the Extraordinary General Meeting in Madrid, the name of the organization was changed to Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan, while field hockey, polo, and squash are also popular. Traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
Saina Nehwal is an Indian professional badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 that she was able to attain the world no. 1 ranking, thereby becoming the only female player from India and thereafter the second Indian player – after Prakash Padukone – to achieve this feat. She has represented India three times in the Olympics, winning a bronze medal in her second appearance at London 2012.
Sports in Malaysia are an important part of Malaysian culture. Sports in Malaysia are popular from both the participation and spectating aspect. Malaysians from different walks of life join in a wide variety of sports for recreation as well as for competition. In the broadest definition of sports—physical exercise of all sorts—the four most popular recreational sports among the general population of Malaysia are exercise walking, aerobic exercise, strength training, and running. Other most popular sports are bicycling, swimming, climbing, camping, bowling, hiking, fishing, scuba diving and paragliding.
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is an Indian badminton player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, Sindhu has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at the 2019 World Championships. She is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games. She rose to a career-high world ranking of no. 2 in April 2017.
Ghana's most popular sport is football, followed by boxing, Athletics, Badminton and basketball.
Michelle Li is a Canadian badminton player. Li is the 2014 Commonwealth Games champion and the first Canadian to win an individual gold medal in women's singles badminton at the Commonwealth Games. She has won gold in both singles and doubles at the Pan American Games and won the singles and team event titles from the Pan American Badminton Championships. As a competitor for Ontario, Li also won singles, doubles, and mixed team titles at the 2011 Canada Winter Games.
The Asian island nation of the Maldives competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Olympics, the delegation consisted of two athletes each in track and field and swimming. For the first time since their debut at the Summer Olympics, the Maldives entered one badminton player into the Olympics. Mohamed Ajfan Rasheed, the inaugural Maldivian badminton player to compete at the Olympics, was the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony with Azneem Ahmed carrying the Maldivian flag in the closing ceremony. All the athletes qualified for the games through wild cards from International Association of Athletic Federations FINA and Badminton World Federation. The Maldives however, has yet to win its first ever Olympic medal.
The Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) is the governing body for the sport of badminton in Pakistan. It was formed in 1953 to promote badminton in country. Nawab Iftikhar Mamdot became the first President and Sultan F. Hussain was the first Secretary General of the Federation.
The Nigeria Squash Federation was established in 1974 as the governing body that oversees the sport of squash in Nigeria.
The Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria is the overall governing body of the sports of gymnastics in Nigeria. Established in 1975, the body is affiliated to the International Federation of Gymnastics with the mission of “an all round development of gymnastics in Nigeria and beyond”.
Nivia Sports, initially known as Freewill Sports Pvt Ltd, is a distinguished Indian corporate entity specializing in the manufacturing of sports equipment. Founded in 1934 in Sialkot, the company has undergone significant transformations, ultimately establishing its headquarters in Jalandhar, Punjab, India.Nivia Sports is renowned for its expertise in designing and producing a wide array of sports equipment, accessories, and sportswear, encompassing athletic apparel and footwear..
He Bingjiao is a Chinese badminton player. She began to receive intensive badminton training at the Suzhou Junior Sports School, when she was 7 years old. Five years later, she was sent to study in Nanjing and for tougher training there. The junior already competed in the senior level, and made her senior international debut at the 2013 Vietnam Open. In 2014, she competed at the Summer Youth Olympics, winning a gold medal in the girls' singles and a bronze in the mixed doubles event. She also won bronze medals at the World Championships in 2018 and 2021.
The Guatemala International is an open badminton tournament held in Guatemala. The tournament has been an International Series level in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2016, then in 2009 categorized as Future Series level, and in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015 categorized as International Challenge by the Badminton World Federation. The tournament is sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation, so the players can improved their point in world ranking.
Terry Hee Yong Kai is a Singaporean badminton player. In mixed doubles with Jessica Tan, Hee won his first World Tour title at the 2022 India Open. Hee together with Jessica Tan also won the gold medal in the mixed doubles event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, a first for Singapore in that discipline at the Games.
The Lagos International also known as Lagos International Badminton Classics is an annual open international badminton tournament held in Lagos, Nigeria. This tournament established since 2014, organized by the Lagos State Badminton Association (LSBA) and Badminton Federation of Nigeria. The tournament sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA), and has grade as BWF International Challenge level with the total prize money $15,000. The classics is expected to help Nigerian players to improve their world ranking as well as play against some of the top rated players in the world, and it is also an opportunity to showcase the positive side of Lagos and Nigeria. It is also an intervention programme of the Lagos State Government, it is a series of international open sporting events geared towards attracting the best continental and global sports talents to the shores of the region. The Lagos State Government believes that the tournament is part of series of international sports events that will bring world stars to the state.
The 2018 BWF World Championships was a badminton tournament which was held from 30 July to 5 August at Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Sports Park Arena in Nanjing, China.
Kodai Naraoka is a Japanese badminton player affiliated with FWD Group. Born in Aomori, he started playing badminton at the age of 5 with the influence of his father. He won the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships.
