Singapore Badminton Association

Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) is the national governing body for badminton in Singapore. Founded in 1929, the SBA is an affiliate of the Singapore National Olympic Council. It is also a member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and Badminton Asia (formerly known as the Badminton Asian Confederation). Currently, SBA has a total of 29 member clubs.[1]

Singapore Badminton Association
SportBadminton
JurisdictionSingapore
AbbreviationSBA
Founded1929
AffiliationBadminton World Federation
Badminton Asia
PresidentLawrence Leow
SecretaryRobert Lim
Official website
www.singaporebadminton.org.sg

History

Formation

After its introduction by the British and the Amateur Sporting Association in the 1920s, badminton gained widespread popularity throughout Malaya and Singapore.[2] It was against this backdrop that the SBA was established several years later in 1929, with Tan Boo Teck as its first president.[3] Upon its formation, the SBA allowed badminton parties, which were essentially teams consisting of badminton enthusiasts, to affiliate themselves with them and take part in their annual open championships.[4]

Following the Japanese Occupation, the SBA had to deal with the loss of some of its best players to the war, the lack of proper facilities and the rising cost of maintaining the club.[4] Nevertheless, Malaya, which Singapore was then a part of, prepared to send its first team to the 1949 Thomas Cup.[1] The team eventually emerged victorious, beating Denmark 8–1 in the finals held in England.[1]

Singapore Badminton Hall

The lack of proper facilities meant that the SBA's players started practicing in open-air courts.[1] SBA meetings were also mainly held at the Clerical Union Hall.[4] The Thomas Cup win, however, kicked off a fundraiser to build a badminton hall. Despite the donations, the SBA struggled with the cost of the construction and had to relinquish ownership of the badminton hall to the Singapore Sports Council (now known as Sport Singapore).[1] Eventually, the Singapore Badminton Hall, which also doubled as the SBA's headquarters, was opened in 1952.[4]

In January 2008, the SBA's lease at the Singapore Badminton Hall expired. The SBA then relocated to the Singapore Sports School.[5] The SBA is currently located at the Singapore Sports Hub, after the latter's construction was completion in 2014.[6]

SBA Badminton Academy

In 2017, the SBA launched the Singapore Badminton Academy in partnership with ActiveSG.[7] The academy, headed by former Olympian Jiang Yanmei, offers a series of badminton programmes across Singapore for aspiring shuttlers aged six to 17.[8] Many former national shuttlers are part of the academy's coaching team. [7]

Tournaments

The SBA is involved in a number of tournaments throughout the year.

Singapore Open

The Singapore Open (previously known as the Konica Cup) is a BWF-sanctioned tournament organised by the SBA. It has been categorised as a BWF World Tour Super 500 event since the BWF announced its new events structure in 2018. [9] The tournament, which offered a total prize money of USD 355,000 in its 2019 edition, attracts some of the world's best shuttlers.[10]

SBA Sanctioned Tournaments

The following tournaments, all of which are tier 2 events, are currently sanctioned by the SBA:[11]

  • PAPA GO Age Group 2020
  • Alpha Age Group Series 2020
  • 15th Chinese Swimming Club Age Group Badminton (Invitational) Tournament 2020
  • Alpha Age Group Series 2020

Notable Shuttlers

Many shuttlers have represented Singapore on the world stage, both prior and after the nation gained independence.

Pre-independence

Post-independence

Olympians

Female Olympians

Male Olympians

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See also

References
  1. "About". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  2. Tan, T. C., et al. (2002). Upholding the legacy Singapore badminton. Singapore: Asiapac, p. 7
  3. Tan, Joanna. "Badminton in Singapore". Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. Tan, Bonny. "Singapore Badminton Association". Singapore Infopedia. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  5. Wang, J. (2007, September 25). SBA to get new home at Sports School. The Straits Times, p. 36. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  6. "Contact". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  7. "Singapore Badminton Association launches academy with ActiveSG". TODAYonline. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  8. "Programmes: Badminton Academy". ActiveSG. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. "BWF Launches New Events Structure". 19 November 2017.
  10. "Singapore Open 2019". BWF World Tour. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  11. "SBA Sanctioned Tournaments". Singapore Badminton Association. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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