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BWF World Championships return to India for 2026
The 2026 BWF World Championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, returning to India after 17 years. The venue has undergone a refurbishment costing over Rs…
The Story in Brief
The 2026 BWF World Championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, returning to India after 17 years. The venue has undergone a refurbishment costing over Rs 20 crore after issues raised during the India Open earlier this year.
India last hosted the tournament in Hyderabad in 2009, where China won four of five golds. Lin Dan completed a hat-trick in men's singles, and the men's doubles final between China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng and South Korea's Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae is considered one of the greatest. Only Denmark's mixed doubles pair interrupted China's sweep. The competitive field has since expanded, with no nation matching that dominance.
The Indian Opinion
The return of the world championships to Delhi naturally stirs excitement, but the narrative of Indian badminton's rise should be measured against reality. Chinese dominance has receded, yet India has only one singles world champion in P. V. Sindhu. The claim that India is now a powerhouse ignores the depth needed. The real test: can Indian shuttlers win more than one medal on home soil? That number will settle whether the hype is justified.
Sources (3): sportstar.thehindu.com, sportstar.thehindu.com (2), news.google.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
